City of Resurrection
by Red Paine
Summary: Shadowhunters and mundanes live by different customs, rules, and traditions, but they share one world. Darkness plagues this world, and it's not limited to demons alone. [disclaimer: I do not own any of Cassandra Clare's works] [please R&R!]
1. Chapter 1

"Oh, I'm sorry, of course you _dogs _wouldn't _understand_," Axel's voice held more mockery than a five year old's, "You're all too _stupid, asslickers_."

Angry growls filled the pub, rumbling deep in the throats of the surrounding werewolves. Dressed in denim, leather and corduroy, they were just as menacing in their human form than their canine. The man towering over Axel had a face as red as the drink in Axel's hand. His lips were drawn back to expose sharp-edged teeth. Like the rest of his pack, he was tense and waiting for Axel to strike first. Axel smirked crookedly and gestured to the whole bar, "Who here wants to hump my leg?"

Another werewolf behind Axel had reached his limit. He lunged for him. Axel swerved to the side and broke his bottle on the wolf's back. A pair of burly men grabbed Axel by the arms to hold him in place. More punched him in the gut, knocking the air out of him. His vision began to blur. Muffled voices yelled within the ringing of his ears. It wasn't long before Axel was thrown out of the green swinging doors, kicked in the head a few times, and left on the alley's asphalt utterly and completely alone.

He blew a kiss, "Call me!"

He grunted and propped himself up on an elbow, rubbing his scraped cheek. The redhead stumbled to his feet and looked up. Miniature sparklers vibrated against the indigo sky. A smile touched Axel's lips as he lurched home tripping over things from stray trash to his own feet. Memories sprang up every time he blinked. Blood splashed behind his eyelids. The ringing intensified. Automatically his hands flew to his head, fisting in his spikes. His eyes squeezed shut. Through clenched teeth he gasped, "Stop it."

It only seemed to get worse. He saw faces, friendly and evil alike. Whispers echoed in his head. If it were any other night, he could've blamed the wind. The droning adopted a pattern like a siren. Axel's eyes opened and he cried out, then abruptly stopped . A few blocks away, he saw with clear vision, blue and red lights flashing, all gathered at an intersection. He walked into the open street and got closer. None of the lights were moving. Voices shouted orders over the alarms. Axel approached the scene and saw no demonic activity. Perplexed, he scanned his surroundings. The source of panic was an orange and white plastic gate that cut off a cul de sac. Hanging from it was a sign that read:

"**Wet Tar. Wait until 8:35 am to proceed.**"

Indeed, the street appeared darker than the adjacent one, and apparently wasn't allowed to be touched. Axel didn't see the big deal until he spotted the orange glare at the end of the cul de sac. To his right, firemen whose Sightless eyes looked right through him had rushed past with buckets full of water. They couldn't use the firehose; it wasn't long enough and there was no way to bring it closer. The firetrucks and police cruisers were stuck here. Axel felt a jolt in his chest.

_They'll never make it._

Axel withdrew his stele from his jacket and sloppily Marked balance onto his breast, pausing only to retrace the fearless rune over his heart. The icy object hardly grazed his pocket before Axel took off in a full-on sprint. Despite the ringing and other noises forming a headache, it was as if his intoxication had melted away to let his Nephilim instincts take over. His feet hardly made a sound on the sidewalk as he shot by the firemen, already eight houses behind him.

From the mailbox, Axel could feel the scorching heat of the fire, making his eyes water. His face was highlighted in gold, his vibrant hair shining in the flickering blaze. Anything close enough was shaded in a gold hue. The whole second floor was engulfed in an inferno that reached yards into the sky. Fortunately the front door was unharmed. Axel didn't bother to check if it was unlocked or draw an opening rune. His foot connected with the wood and sent the door flying off its hinges into the house.

Axel was greeted by the living room, mundane enough. Against the far wall was a staircase. What used to be an ordinary wooden set of steps was now extraordinarily luminous. He stopped only to don his hood, then brought his sleeve up to his mouth and dove into the fire. Immediately it clung to him and he could feel it eating away his clothes. Sweat covered his skin in a shiny sheen. Axel paid it no mind. He was used to sweat.

On the second floor were four doors. That was the only outstanding feature. Fire had erased any highlighting details. Axel kicked open the first door to find a bathroom, scorched black. He tried the next: a guest bedroom without guests. The door behind him was the master bedroom. There he found two people, entangled with each other in the king sized bed. Their bodies were as still as their pulse. Cursing, Axel left them to burn together in their already fiery deathbed. He slammed through the last door and heard a cry.

The mess in the hallway and other bedrooms was a fire. _This _was Hell on earth. It burned the strongest and hurt to look at. Axel squinted his eyes and saw in the back of the room two younger teenagers, hiding behind an upturned glass table. They'd taken shelter by the inflammable surface though couldn't escape from the smoke. Axel got closer and froze. The boy of the pair was staring right at Axel. His blue eyes projected fear when they locked gazes. Despite the circumstances, Axel smiled at him. The boy jerked like he'd been slapped.

There was a window on the wall closest to him. He walked through the fire and didn't bother to shake it off. Bending down, he grabbed the boy and carried him to the window. His boots broke the glass with ease. Axel poked his head out and saw an in-ground pool just below them in the backyard. The boy screamed as Axel tossed him out, waiting to see him hit the water before turning to get the other one.

She was slumped against the wall, unconscious. Axel went to lift her and stopped when she yelped in her sleep. Her hands looked like they'd been through a meatgrinder. The skin had been burned off. Some chunks were missing; Axel noticed with a twinge in his stomach that bone was visible. Very gingerly he cradled her head against his chest. Holding on tight, he launched himself out the window and landed on his back in the deep end of the pool. The fire on his clothes hissed as they dissipated. Axel broke the surface in a few lunges, his arm still around the girl. He swam sideways to the ladder where the boy waited on the patio. She was set down like fine China so she wouldn't be disturbed.

"Xion!" he got to his knees beside her, and looked at Axel, "Is she okay? Where are our..."

The look in Axel's eyes cut him off. Curiosity, fury, pain and satisfaction twisted the neon green irises. In his pupils were dancing flames from the house. He went to speak and bit his tongue when Axel swerved away from them and retched. Bile and blood and beer trickled down the sides of his chin. He rasped for breath, "She's fine."

"Where are our parents? We have to go back!"

"No." Axel's body trembled, "You're coming with me."

"What? But-"

He never got to finish. Axel's hand cracked across his face and sent him to the ground. The redhead flinched at the audible thud his head made. Sighing, he used his stele to draw an _iratze_ on Xion's forearms, just above the wrists. As her hands mended before his eyes, Axel observed thin white scars already lining her veins. What he'd thought to be some pet's claw-marks were too even and equal in length. A lance pierced Axel's heart. He paused, then drew her close to him and wrapped his arms around her, his head resting on hers. They sat there like that, Axel shaking and inhaling in short breaths, his mouth set in a grim line. Through the smell of ashes, he could detect a citrusy shampoo. It was a while before he recollected himself and grabbed the boy. Axel's body protested, his head throbbing and limbs aching, as he walked home. The firemen didn't notice any of the three and continued to douse the unoccupied residence.


	2. Chapter 2

The sky had begun to turn pink at the edges. One by one, the stars blinked out. Axel could feel his bones creaking like an old man's. On his shoulder lolled a head of blonde spikes. In his other arm, against his chest, was the girl with black hair. They weighed him down dramatically. He cursed himself for being so weak. As a Shadowhunter, carrying bodies was supposed to be a cinch.

_Is it a cinch after you've gotten beaten up at a bar, nearly devoured by a fire, and then jumped out a second-story window?_

Axel chuckled humorlessly under his breath. He hadn't bothered to take the time to heal himself. Burns, bruises, cuts and perspiration scoured his body. What was left of his clothes hung in rags on his arms and legs. The hood covering his hair was barely intact. He resembled a bloody homeless pirate.

A sigh of relief heaved itself through his lips as he opened the black iron gate. The glamour melted away like rain on a car's windshield. Stone gargoyles, menacing to others, seemed to welcome Axel from the rooftop. He made a face at them and mimicked their growls. It usually made him feel better. This time he pushed through the church's entrance without smiling, and stepped into the lift.

The doors slid open on the third floor to reveal blue hair and a scowl. Though only nineteen, he was considered an adult and therefore had authority over Axel, whom was a couple years younger. He leaned against the wall, arms crossed, his eyes squinting. A moment passed before he spoke up.

"You look like shit, Scarhallow."

Axel let out a heavy breath, readjusting himself so Xion wouldn't fall, "Sexy shit I'm betting."

"This isn't funny," he went on as if Axel hadn't spoken, "We all know you. You go out drinking and come home a mess, even though you always have your stele on you. But this," he pointed to Xion, "This is a first."

"Thought we could sell them on the black market."

"Axel."

Saïx's tone forced Axel to make eye contact. His face became blank and clean as slate.

"You can't just bring mundane children to the Institute. You've been here longer than I, you should know the rules by now. And your clothes…" his eyes dripped poison as they raked Axel's attire, "If you're going to take on Dante's inferno the least you could've done is wear Shadowhunter gear, not a hoodie and jeans. We do have a fireproof rune, you know. Much more, you could have contacted me or someone for backup. Seriously, Axel, what were you thinking?" when Axel didn't answer, he growled, "_Do you want to die?_"

Axel dropped his eyes, "Don't make me answer that."

The man stopped at that. Axel brought his face up in a dull stare, as if challenging him to ask him again. He didn't say a word.

"They're not mundane by the way," his voice became tired and quiet, "They could see me. Look." Shifting, he showed the other the fading runeson Xion's wrists, "They can be Marked. You should have seen her hands, Saïx. The skin was gone. There was blood. I could see her _bones_."

Saïx mulled this over, but as always, his expression didn't change. Through the x-shaped scar on his nose, he constantly seemed to be bitter and angry. Eventually he said, exasperated, "Take them to the hospital wing. I'll tell DiZ."

With a huff, he pivoted and disappeared down the hall. Axel took the other way until he found the clear double doors of the hospital wing. They opened automatically at the sense of his presence.

Inside, the amount of white was astounding. The floor was white tile, the walls were painted white, and every piece of furniture was as bright. Eight beds lined the left and right wall with their covers folded neatly at the end. Windows were set behind each headboard, casting an eerie box-shaped light on the mattresses. A station for mixing medicines occupied the far wall, covered in papers at the moment. Axel hated it here. It smelled like disinfectant and disgusting, bitter herbs. All the paleness made him uncomfortable, like it was a bad omen. Coming in here reminded him of all the funerals he'd been to, where everyone wore white.

He released Xion and lay her on one of the beds. He rested the boy in a neighboring bed. The unbearable weight was finally gone from his back; he stretched and enjoyed the freedom of his arms. Flexing, his back made a gratifying crack. Axel paused, then sat on the edge of the girl's bed. Her hands were completely healed by now, but her scars remained. Something blossomed in Axel when he looked at her. If not admiration, extreme respect. Not just anyone would have held on that long.

"Can you hear me, Xion?" he asked her gently. When she didn't answer, Axel peaked over his shoulder at the boy. A blueish-purple blotch blemished his forehead. Guilty, Axel took his stele and began drawing an _iratze _on it. As the icy tip grazed his skin, Axel felt arms locking around his neck and squeezing hard. Choking, he dropped the stele and reached behind him. His fingers found hair. They tugged, trying to pull the attacker off, and heard a high-pitched gasp. His eyes widened, "Xion?" The arms stopped tightening, "Xion, stop! I'm helping him!"

There was a hesitation, then the arms slipped from his shoulders, and she fell to the ground behind him. The second her bare feet hit the tile, Axel faced her and observed. Her height reached Axel's chest. Like the boy, she was in loose pajamas, and had the same cobalt eyes. Every inch of her was covered in soot. Axel cringed inwardly at the black smear she left on the bed.

"So you did hear me."

Xion's expression was stunningly slack and unyielding. One might think she was sleeping with her eyes open.

"I'm Axel Scarhallow. I saved you and your brother from the fire."

Her eyes stayed firmly locked with his.

"I'm doing the same thing to your brother I did to your hands. These runes cure injuries. "

Her tone was strongly defiant, "He's not my brother. I'm adopted."

Axel gradually resumed sketching an _iratze _on Xion's not-brother, "What's his name?"

"Roxas."

"Odd name."

"Says the guy named Scarhallow."

"It's not like I can change it."

Xion watched his fingers, elegantly weaving a rune onto Roxas. She saw something gleam through the charred coat left by the grime of ashes. It was a thick, worn out band of sterling with a bird-design on it. Axel caught her staring. When he held out his hand, she diverted her eyes to his face.

"It's the Scarhallow family ring," he explained, "The phoenix is kind of a joke. Life and death in one being, always reborn. In mythology, it's supposed to symbolize immortality, but-"

"Axel, who is your new friend?"

The baritone voice entered the room, gazing on thoughtfully. Axel greeted him like a soldier. Xion took a step closer to Roxas, as if to shield him from this stranger. The man was enormous. His head was wrapped in thin, red strips of leather. Little silver buckles held them together. Only one golden eye and a scarred mouth protruded from the maze of bandages. The rest of his body was covered in a matching scarlet cloak. Next to him was a menacing young man with a venomous glare and two scars crossing over his nose. As opposed to the red man, this one had aquamarine hair and was dressed in jeans and a loose t-shirt. Aside from the scar, he looked like someone you'd pass in the streets without a second glance.

He spoke in a low voice, "Some strays Axel picked up on his way home."

"Their names are Xion and Roxas," Axel tried to sound as though he didn't care, although Xion caught the undertone that he was defending them.

"Ah, so he's named them too. Do we have to get them collars and tags?"

"Enough, Saïx," the man sounded paternal, "They are not pets. They are Nephilim."

"From a mundane world. They have no proper training."

He brushed this off, "Young one, who are your parents?"

Xion eyed him warily. Obviously he was the authority here. Perhaps if she cooperated, he'd let her and Roxas go home, "Cloud and Aerith Johnson."

The man had a heartwarming gleam to his eye, "As I thought. Roxas looks like his father."

"Cloud? Cloud…" Saïx perked up, "Wolfstrife? I thought he was dead."

"We all did. Such as a Circle member, to fake their own death to escape punishment."

"Well, they're dead now."

Xion went rigid.

Axel gaped incredulously at him, "_Saïx!_"

"Did you want me to lie?"

The man hushed them both, meeting Xion's eyes. She took note that unlike other adults, he didn't bend down to her level when addressing her, "I am very sorry, young one. I am DiZ Stormguild, the head of this Institution. I, like Axel, Saïx, and everyone else living here, am a Shadowhunter, as are you. You are of Raziel's blood, his power, and you were born to kill demons. You can see things no one else can-"

"I know."

DiZ didn't falter, though Axel let out a sudden breath, "What do you see?"

"Men with red skin and horns. Women with fish tails and children with fangs."

"That is the gift of your Sight. It's remarkably strong for an unMarked. Roxas can also see such things. He is Nephilim like you, and can see what you see."

Her eyes widened. They darkened and her hands curled into fists at her sides, "Liar."

"Why would I lie about such things?" reading her mind, DiZ spoke to Axel without breaking eye contact, "Take her to the washroom, then show her a room, Axel. Make sure she's comfortable."

Axel nodded, walking to the double doors, looking back at Xion, "Don't you want to stay with Roxas?"

She stormed ahead of him as though she knew where she was going. Axel didn't question it, since she gradually fell into step with him.

The girl kept a stern silence the entire trip there. They descended a floor, where the common household rooms were. Axel watched Xion take a quick glimpse into each room, despite herself. She only allowed herself a couple seconds for each door. The girl was determined not to let Axel out of her sight and never make eye contact with him. How she managed both at the same time was beyond him. When they reached the relatively mundane bathroom, Axel finally spoke, "Xion, wait."

"I don't want to talk to you."

"Never said you had to. I was just wondering if you wanted new clothes. I'm pretty sure I have an old shirt I can give you or something."

She blinked, her eyes still dull. Without giving an answer, she walked into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her. The lock clicked into place, and Axel was once again alone behind a closed door. Annoyance crept its way into him. How dare she be rude to him? He saved her life! No way in hell would he babysit a brat like that.

_What a bitch._

He turned to leave, when he heard the shower turn on. Over it, a wavering, sad voice:

"_Sometimes I feel like I don't have a partner._

_Sometimes I feel like _

_my only friend_

_is the city I live in,_

_the city of angels._

_Lonely as I am,_

_together we cry."_

Axel's feet took root where they were. Xion's singing broke off, replaced by stuttering sniffs. Her sobs rattled his heart. The redhead proceeded to cross his arms, and lean against the wall beside the door. His eyes closed as he listened. It must have been hard, to unexpectedly be thrown into this new life without the option of going back. Axel couldn't understand, as Shadowhunting was all he'd ever known. However, he always secretly felt terrible, hearing someone cry. What he customly did was walk away simply so the sound would fade. This time, he stayed.

After a while the door clicked open, and out walked Xion, clean, wrapped in a towel. Now he could see how pale her skin was, almost like a vampire, lacking color. And yes, as he'd suspected, her damp hair was naturally the color of charcoal. They watched each other before Axel locked his emeralds onto her sapphires. Axel parted his lips and spoke, not singing, but as if he was reciting something he'd memorized for a play:

"_Under the bridge downtown,_

_is where I drew some blood._

_Under the bridge downtown,_

_I could not get enough._

_Under the bridge downtown,_

_forgot about my love._

_Under the bridge downtown,_

_I gave my life away."_

His eyes searched hers, looking for some kind of reaction while maintaining a hard façade. In turn, Xion's blue eyes remained dazzlingly piercing. They made Axel resist the urge to squirm. She looked at him like she knew everything about him. All of his darkest secrets, each aspect of his past, seemed out in the open. He suddenly felt exposed. Ironic, since there was a huge burnt hole in his jeans that showed a corner of his boxers.

"What."

He paused, "You're so short."

"I'm only fifteen."

"Then I guess you'll grow." he hastily looked away and stalked back to the lift. Xion stood transfixed, somewhat perplexed as to why he'd bring up her height. It wasn't as though she was tiny for her age. Compared to other girls in her grade, she was normal in height.

_What a weirdo._

Axel called over his shoulder. She reluctantly got into the elevator with him and ascended a floor. Apparently the hospital wing was on the same floor as the Shadowhunters' bedrooms. The pair passed the double glass doors. Axel stole a glance to see Roxas sitting up in bed and conversing with DiZ. Saïx had vanished unsurprisingly.

_Probably off to kick puppies and pop kids' balloons. _

Axel snorted at his own joke, which raised an inquisitive face from Xion. It was so hard not to laugh at her too. He barely concealed it with a Saïx-like frown that twitched at the edges.


	3. Chapter 3

Axel's room was astonishingly covered in mundane articles. Along the walls, painted a navy blue, were flags and posters of various bands. The only weapons in the room were a couple of chakrams as red as Axel's hair, hanging above the headrest of his unkempt bed. Xion noted the plain wooden furnishings and the floor-to-ceiling window that provided a terrific view of the streets below. Axel's boots marked the floorboards with dark smudges as he crossed the room to the bureau and started rummaging through shirts.

Xion closed the door behind her and turned in a full circle, taking it all in. His room was full of what Xion wanted to decorate her room with. Sharing with Roxas had taken away both of their abilities to really mark the room as theirs with personal belongings. She felt a stabbing pain in her chest and pushed aside the thought of Roxas. Regaining her posture, she said, "Strange."

"What?" Axel gruffed, flinging large t-shirts over his shoulder.

"I thought you Shadowhunters didn't partake in mundane hobbies."

"First off, music isn't a hobby. It's a way of life," he stood up, a white garment in his fist. He held it up to judge the size, "And second, you assume correct. We usually stick to our own stuff."

"Then why?"

Axel forgot to filter his thoughts and spoke sullenly, "Nephilim music doesn't help."

"Help what?"

He shuddered as if shaken. Swifter than Xion thought possible, Axel threw a shirt at her, shouldered past her, muttering "your room is across the hall" and walked out the door. The girl was amazed that the door hadn't snapped from the force Axel used to close it. After a minute of waiting for nothing, she dropped the towel and put on the shirt he'd given her. Granted, on Xion, it was a dress that brushed the tops of her knees. She brushed the black from Axel's hands off. When she looked at her reflection in the window, she found the logo of the Red Hot Chili Peppers emblazoned on her chest. A longing for her own band shirts fluttered in her like a caged bird.

"Xion!"

The girl jumped and turned around. She didn't hear the door open, or Roxas walking in. As he approached her, Xion saw he'd bathed, and was given a fresh pair of clothes: a plain white long-sleeve t-shirt and grey sweatpants that were a little too big for him. Shining behind his bangs was a white scar in the swirling pattern of an _iratze_. His face was strained as if he was still in pain. Roxas closed the distance between them and caught Xion in a tight embrace. Tears flowed down his cheeks to dampen the fabric on her shoulder. It took Roxas a moment to realize Xion wasn't returning the gesture.

He leaned back to see her face, his arms still holding her against him. He furrowed his brow, eyes watery, "Xion?"

Xion's voice was barely a whisper when she said, "You have the Sight."

Roxas went still.

"You can see everything I can. You always have."

"... Xion, I-"

"WHY?" she shoved him away, yelling at him loud enough to wake the dead, "You LIED to me! Every time I came to you, every time I cut, you just, just…" Rage brought her palm up. She slapped Roxas hard enough to force him back, tripping over his pant-legs and tumbling to the floor. His eyes were wide and hadn't stopped crying. If anything, it looked like he'd been crying harder. Xion growled with pure determined hatred, "_You knew. Every time I shouted at a murdering demon, every time I cried over the dead body of a baby wolf… EVERY TIME THE GUYS AT SCHOOL MADE FUN OF ME FOR MY STORIES AND SLAMMED MY HEAD AGAINST LOCKERS AND RIPPED MY DRAWINGS APART, YOU JUST STOOD THERE AND LET THEM." _

Roxas's lips had started trembling. She knew he hated being shouted at. Whenever his parents had done it, he'd bawled like a baby. Because of this, Xion never raised her voice around him. This was the first time he'd heard her speak any louder than a mumble to anyone.

"You were my shoulder to cry on. You were _my only friend_. How could you do that to me?" desperation clawed her voice, "You could have told me! Maybe I would've stopped believing I was crazy! Maybe I'd actually have friends! _MAYBE I'D STOP WANTING TO FUCKING KILL MYSELF!_"

"Xion, please…" he whimpered, "Just listen to me. I can explain!"

"_EXPLAIN WHEN I GIVE A BLOODY DAMN WHAT YOU SAY."_

She kicked his chin, cracking his head back. The impact pushed him onto his back, staring up through blurry eyes at her as she stormed out.

Roxas held his head in his hands, weeping over everything. His parents were dead, he had no idea if he'd ever go home, and the aloneness. He cried for Xion. Now that Xion hated him, she was truly alone in the world. Abruptly, he jumped to his feet and dashed out the door hard enough to nearly trip the guy on the other side.

Axel growled, "What the hell?"

"Where's Xion?"

He blinked, somewhat annoyed and amused at Roxas's feverish tone, "She doesn't want to talk to you, dude."

"No, you don't understand, she-"

"Will be fine. Move it." he pointed at the door diagonal from his, "Yours is next to hers. Just wait for her to come back."

"But-"

"She'll be back."

The boy was left to stare after Axel as he disappeared into his bedroom, wrapped in a clean towel, devoid of damage, though his skin was decorated in a network of black tattoos now startlingly visible against his pale skin. There was an eye-design on Axel's chest. An itchy horror ran its cold hand up Roxas's spine. He could've sworn the eye winked at him.

Axel lay in bed, dressed in only a pair of drawstring pants, with the morning sun casting a warming glow on his torso. He'd sprawled on top of the covers, too exhausted to trouble with tucking himself in, and willed himself to sleep. The hangover had devolved into a dull, constant ache, but that was nothing. Having experienced demon poison, night terrors, and the sound of screeching souls, it wasn't unusual for slumber to elude him. This time it was Xion.

True, he'd thought of other people before drifting off. He'd contemplated Saïx's past and why he was so cruel for a Nephilim. DiZ's appearance had crossed his mind more than once. Not to mention everybody else. Xion was no special case, albeit, her face when she'd passed him in the hallway was familiar.

From down the corridor, coming out of the shower, his honed sense of hearing had picked up yelling. It wasn't low enough to be Roxas's voice, so it had to be her. Xion had barreled through him with a tear-stained, cherry-red face. He'd seen that look in mirrors countless of times. It wasn't sadness or mourning, but angry frustration. If he were a child, he would've gone after her and asked her what was wrong. Now he knew better.

_What about her scars?_

He twisted his face.

_Get up. She needs you._

_Roxas can take care of her._

_Obviously not._

_Why me? She doesn't like me. Frankly I'm not that fond of her either._

_That's bullshit and you know it. You can't expect her to trust any of you; you're complete strangers that took her away from everything she ever knew. _

…

_She is brave, strong, and doesn't let anyone hurt what she loves. _

_If she was strong, she wouldn't need me. _

_And you think yourself to be strong?_

_Think of Saïx. _

Axel groaned, heaving himself off his bed and stepping outside. The blonde was leaning against the wall in the fetal position. He looked up at Axel through bubbling eyes. A question formed on his lips, but it slipped away as Axel grabbed him and dragged him through Xion's footsteps. Through ignored protests, Axel tugged him, coming to a halt and holding Roxas at eye-level, "Where would she go?"

"I-I don't-"

Axel shook him, "What does she do when she's sad? Where does she go, what does she do?"

"She… her wr-wrists…

"Not that!"

Roxas sniffed, "Drawing."

Axel recalled her examining each room downstairs.

_Downstairs. Art room._

_Move it, asshole._


	4. Chapter 4

The art room could have easily been mistaken for a library. Bookshelves lined the walls, obscuring any view of the walls. In the far wall wedged between shelves was a window seat, heavily cushioned with velvet and yellow pillows, matching the purple carpet. Stacked by the window seat were thick canvases, some already halfway covered in masterpieces. Isles were in the center of the room, circling a raised pedestal, all set over a tarp sheet to protect the carpet. A golden chandelier hung over the pedestal and cast perfect shadows on its flat marble surface. One of the shelves held paints and other coloring medians, a rainbow in perfect stock. When Xion peered in that millisecond earlier, she'd seen it as homely and comfortable, like the art room at school. She'd stayed there at lunch to eat and craft, probably her favorite time of the day.

Now Xion slumped against the heavy oak door, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. The girl couldn't bring herself to care about art at the moment. Her tears had gathered on the hem of her shirt and turned it a light gray. In any other circumstance, she would've been mocked for it. There was no one to make fun of her here.

_Just me and my misery._

The angry headache had morphed into a melancholy bodyache. Her entire being seemed to sting with the pain of betrayal. Crying only made it worse, adding to the nausea and burning sensation. Like every time she cried alone, she wondered if it was better or worse that no one was there to console her or to even care that she was so upset.

Usually, Roxas had found her and stayed with her. She'd tangle her hands into his shirt, buried her head in his chest, sometimes fall asleep on his shoulder, with Roxas's arms around her the whole time. While her parents had patted her head and told her it'd be okay, Roxas had been the only one who ever took the time to actually listen to her. He was the one who heard her out and held her as she cried. Xion ran her fingertips along the skin on her forearm.

_He was the one who knew._

"Roxas…" Xion didn't know what to feel. On one hand, the girl wanted to impale him in the neck with a butter knife. On the other, she wanted him to hold her and stroke her back and tell her with absolute certainty that everything would get better. Swirling emotions left her feeling heavy and empty while wanting to explode and spill her guts all over the floor. Dread pulsed through her in reaction to the knock on the door an hour later. Her heart somehow beat faster than its already rapid pace. She gave no answer, hoping whoever it was would leave her alone. If any comfort was welcome, it wasn't from a stranger.

"I know you're in there, Xion."

Axel.

A moment later she heard, "I can see your shadow."

"What do you want?" she could only manage a hoarse mutter.

"There's someone here who wants to apologize."

"I don't want his apology."

There was a shuffle on the other side, "Sorry, Xion. Unfortunately for you, he's not leaving until you talk to him."

"Go away."

"C'mon," he sounded tired, "At least hear him out."

The ravenette lugged herself up, absently rubbing the back of her hand across her face in a vain attempt to clean her tears. She almost wanted a mirror. Then, she opened the door and immediately regretted it. Seeing Roxas only made her crave his touch even more. It was difficult to refrain from running to him, or kicking him in the groin.

Roxas appeared no better than Xion. The spikes on his head were in disarray. His clothes were wrinkled everywhere. Xion was taken aback by the daze in his eyes, as if he were dizzy and couldn't find balance. Roxas never took them off of her. Although Xion knew her face was just as red, she also knew how cold it must have looked, for Roxas looked like Axel, trying to find an emotion. The girl said nothing and waited. Axel had crossed his arms behind them, looking on with a stern face.

Xion blinked at him, "Why did you bring him here?"

Axel's gaze drifted lazily to the side. He responded in an indifferent voice, saying, "You two are close. Friendship like that is treasured around here." his breath caught, "Sometimes it disappears sooner than we'd like."

"Was your best friend killed by a demon?" Roxas couldn't stop himself from asking.

"No. No, he…"

Like he did before, Axel left the room. Xion stared at the open doors for a moment before averting her attention on Roxas. The doors swung slowly closed and the sound of the latch catching was the only noise for what seemed like eons. They stared at each other for a while. One was trying to think of what to say. The other pondered if she should care what the other had to say. Xion lowered her eyes, attempting to scope the folds in Roxas's shirt and ignore the feeling of his eyes on her. She imagined drawing them, the shadows and hues, like she had so many times before. More than once she'd gotten Roxas to pose for her. Sometimes, when Roxas dozed off on her lap, if her notepad was handy, she'd sketch his face. It was the opposite of what it was now. He was relaxed, slightly smiling, like an angel. Angels didn't drool, but she never minded.

Xion sighed, not angry or sad, just drained, "What else do you know?"

"What?"

"You didn't look the least bit afraid of DiZ."

"I'm not a coward, Xion!" he sounded like a child, "I can protect myself."

"No, you knew him. You've met before. I could tell."

Roxas swallowed, "Xion, please, let me explain. You're all I have left and I don't want to lose you."

She let out a sad laugh, "How can I know that..? You probably wanted me to die in that fire."

"_Xion!_" he said angrily, "_How could you possibly believe that?_"

That brought her head up.

Roxas continued in a tone so firm it made Xion wonder if this was the first time he'd stood up to her. Sure, they'd fought as kids all the time. But he never talked like this. It was as if every other argument was petty and didn't matter. This one obviously meant a lot to him for him to yell at her, "I lied. I lied a lot. That doesn't mean I don't care about you! Look, I know all about the Shadow world.

"It's true, I have the Sight. When I came to Mom and Dad about it, they told me everything, what they did, and why we were hiding, why we'd never be a part of that. It's a life of murder and survival, Xion. They didn't want that for us." his hands were shaking, "They brought me to this Institution once, me and my twin brother, Ventus."

"You have a brother." she breathed.

"I don't even know. Mom and Dad showed us to DiZ, and gave us a choice. Ven chose to fight, while I refused. Then you showed up and I didn't want to leave you alone. I said no. But, there's a rule, about Shadowhunters that go into hiding, they… they don't get to have any involvement in the Shadow world. We never saw Ven again, ever. I don't know where he is, what he's doing, if he's alive…"

Xion murmured, "How come I never met him?"

"He left before we adopted you," he exhaled sharply, "Your parents didn't die in an accident, by the way. They were on the list of casualties from a vampire-raid. The Wolfstrifes were always close to your family, the Moongates. We took you in when your parents died."

If she'd been anyone else, Xion would have buckled and fell to her knees. Instead she absorbed this with a perpetual stare. Xion had never called Aerith "Mom" or Cloud "Dad", but she didn't feel attached to her actual parents either. Though her memories of them were few, she didn't ever remember being happy. It was just a collection of faces and smells, all of which had no value to her. Being too young to know how to fight demons, they'd never mentioned Shadowhunters to her. Her childhood visions of the supernatural were seen as games. It was only when she grew older and lived with Roxas that she realized she wasn't imagining. Looking back, Xion hypothesized the theory that her parents would have tried to keep her from the Shadow world if they were here.

Roxas pressed on, "I wanted to tell you so bad! They said you were stronger than me and could handle it all. The visions, the instincts, the dreams, the drawings… Then you started cutting, and you didn't want me to tell them because you didn't want to worry them, and…" Roxas wiped away the tears on his cheeks, and gasped, "Oh, God."

Xion felt her own eyes burn, "You were protecting me."

"Xion, I'm so sorry!" he cried.

"You didn't have a choice!"

"I could have told you! I-I…"

Only a few feet away, Xion rushed to Roxas and clung to him. Her nails clawed his back as she pulled him impossibly closer and wept into his chest. He didn't hesitate to grab her and crush her into him. As they were the same height, they rested their heads on each other's shoulders. Roxas grasped her tight enough to constrict her breath, but she didn't care. She held him just as hard. Into the nape of his neck Xion sobbed aloud. Roxas made no sound, but shook with her and refused to let go.

Axel rested against the wall outside the art room. He listened to the not-siblings weep. The boy of the pair sounded different than the girl, he heard. Roxas only sniffed while Xion full-out shrieked. It sounded muffled for some reason. Axel made to check on them and was stopped by movement in his peripheral. There was blue hair and a grimace approaching. Saïx huffed at him, coming to a stop before the redhead.

"Yes, handsome?" Axel smiled.

"What are you, their couples' counselor?"

"Maybe I care about people. You should try it sometime."

"Oh, please," Saïx smirked evilly, "You don't care about them. You'd just feel bad because you'd be letting what happened to us happen to them."

Axel blanched, "Saïx…"

"Don't bother. We both know you will never go down that road again."

"We could try."

"And what about Reno?"

He flinched, his brow wrinkled. Saïx had that smile again. The man walked off, a smug air of "I knew it" excreting from him. Axel stared morosely after his vanishing figure. It was then that a pang went through his chest. His heart skipped a beat.

Then he ran.

A shaky finger pressed the up-arrow twice on accident in the lift. Swearing, it was too long before Axel reached his room. Red pictures blinded him, pulling him to his knees. By sheer will he managed to open the door and enter his navy room. Axel crumbled onto his bed like a stale pastry. Hurriedly he sketched a Fearless rune over the last one on his chest, right over his heart.

He recalled his first rune-lesson: the closer to the heart, the more powerful. Whether or not it was true was unproven, but Axel believed it mainly so he'd believe it would work faster. Even if it didn't, his traumatic state made him draw five more, lacing the bare skin of his upper body. Thankfully, the images became less effective, and soon left his mind altogether.

Unyielding valor surged through him, enticed by the Fearless runes. Axel felt like he could do anything. There was no more doubt and no more phobia of his past. While it was useful in certain situations, it was also extremely dangerous. Death was no longer terrifying. It almost seemed like an option. He thought of Saïx, unconsciously reaching for the special I-shaped rune on his shoulder, the Voyance rune on his right hand gleaming back at him. Sure, he was Fearless, but the rune didn't provide much stamina. Ever so slowly, Axel's eyes fluttered shut.

Inside his head ran demons, roaring and clawing and demolishing everything he ever loved. Exteriorly, nothing appeared unordinary. The sun, high in the sky, glowed, undisturbed. Cars, pedestrians and birds' springtime songs brought a symphony through the window. Everything was okay. Axel held on to the idea, however bleak, and drifted off. He never saw the Shadow move from the corner of his bedroom. He didn't see the claws scratching the floor, and he certainly didn't see it exit his room and scramble down the hallway, hissing like a dilapidating balloon along its way.


	5. Chapter 5

Roxas reclined against the fluffy pillows with a warm, contented smile. On his lap was Xion's head, sound asleep. Absently, he pet her hair the way she liked it, bringing a purr from her soft, pink lips. They had calmed down and sat on the window seat, side-by-side. Xion made Roxas tell her as much as he knew about Shadowhunters. As he hadn't chosen that life, the boy didn't know as much as he'd like. He managed to tell her about their mission: to kill every demon and protect the humans, known as "mundanes" to them. Apparently, Shadowhunters came from a man called Jonathan Shadowhunter, who mixed his blood with the Archangel Raziel's in the Mortal Cup, and whoever drank from the cup would become a Shadowhunter, as would every generation after them. When Xion asked if this was true or not, he shrugged and said, "It's a story. In this world, all the stories are true."

Then she'd gotten bored, or more likely, weakened by the stressful morning. About halfway through explaining Downworlders, Roxas had found Xion's head resting on his shoulder. He'd let out a soft laugh and moved her so his legs acted as her pillow. This wasn't the first time. Roxas recalled summers in the past where they were granted free time. They watched anime, read books together, so late into the night that eventually one of them passed out onto the other. He knew now that that would never happen again. Since his parents were gone, and Xion had come to the Institute, the whole situation became compromised. Even if they chose not to fight the Nephilim's battle, there was legitimately no possibility of them returning to the mundane life. Unlike Xion, Roxas felt oddly at peace with the idea. The mundane friends he did have weren't all that important to him. If anything, he made them to keep up the façade that he was normal. Xion was the only one he'd ever needed. It didn't matter where they went now. As long as Xion was there, Roxas didn't care where he was.

He looked down at her, vulnerable and silent, and smiled.

It was then that the doors opened, and a trio entered the art room. Roxas sat up to announce his presence and the three stopped. Two boys and a girl, all dressed in similar black gear. The girl had dark red hair cropped just above her shoulders. Her sapphire eyes matched Roxas's and Xion's, as well as the boy's next to her. Roxas wondered what he did to his brown hair that got it to spike out like that. On the brunette's opposite side was the other boy, a head taller than the other two. His aquamarine eyes were glorious in their mysterious beauty, shining through long silver hair that covered his shoulderblades. While the other two regarded Roxas with curiosity, the taller one glared as if facing down an enemy.

"Hi there!" the brunette was the first to speak, cheerfully smiling, "Who are you?"

"Roxas Wolfstrife," his last name tasted weird on his tongue.

"I'm Sora Heartlight. This is Kairi Rosekey, and Riku Highwind."

Kairi-the girl-beamed, "It's nice to meet you!"

Sora elbowed Riku in the ribs, nodding slightly to Roxas. He scratched the back of his head, "Um, hi."

Kairi ignored them, walking forward so she stood before Roxas. He saw that she was slightly shorter than him. She pointed down at Xion, "Who's that?"

"Xion Moongate."

"Damn, that's an old name. So, what are you guys doing here?"

"We're staying. It's already been arranged by DiZ. He gave us a week for mourning, and then we'll start training, if we want."

"Awesome!" she bounced, "Finally, more people to talk to!"

"Aren't there others here, too?"

"Well, yeah, but I don't really count them. They're too old to talk to."

Sora spoke up, "They're not old, Kairi!"

"_They're older than me!_"

Roxas thought he saw Riku grin.

"Anyway, we're going to shower and get this crap off us, then we're going to go out for some noms. Do you want to come?"

_Noms? _"Uh, s-sure…"

"Great! Seeya in a bit!"

With that she pranced out the room, Sora and Riku trailing close behind. Riku paused to grab a book off a nearby shelf, probably the reason they came here in the first place. Roxas stared after them and jumped when Xion shifted in his lap. Her eyes slowly opened, landing hazily on his.

"Mmm, what's going on?"

"Morning. You hungry?"

The five teenagers strolled down the sidewalk, Kairi at the lead. She chatted away with her boys right behind her. Sora had his hands behind his neck and was grinning while listening to her. Beside him Riku had his hands in his pockets, the tension visibly gone from his form. All three had shucked their armour and were now dressed as mundanes, Riku in hipster jeans and Kairi in a t-shirt that read, "Don't wait for a prince; rescue yourself!" across a crown with an x over it. Xion wore similar attire, as Kairi had insisted she had something that actually fit.

She doubted the redhead understood when she said "but I'm comfortable." Before all this, Xion would only wear baggy jeans and loose t-shirts, mostly extra-large men's. It let her move freely when running from bullies, and was generous in comfort. The fabric usually used in guy's shirts, a scratchy wool, had always been homely to Xion. Roxas disagreed and had soft cotton shirts. Xion never liked them.

Decked out in a plain girl's black t-shirt and skinny jeans, she'd never felt more awkward. Not only was it silky, but it was tight. It hugged her curves in a way her own clothes never had. The shirt accented her chest and lean stomach, as the jeans showed off her hips and butt. Xion blushed when she noticed Roxas looking at her. When she was about to call him a pervert, she saw he wasn't watching her body, but her face. Roxas blinked and turned a darker shade of red when he saw her looking back. The moment was gratifyingly over when they had arrived.

According to the sign, the place was called "Glitter Pups." Inside, it was decorated as an ordinary coffee house, with sofas and armchairs skirting tables that held platters of breakfast sandwiches and menus. The shelves behind the bar in the back were full of colorful bottles. Drinks from champagne to cheap beer lined half of them, sparkling in the sun peeping through the window. The rest was full of bottles holding a stomach-churning dark fluid. Xion tried to ignore it, telling herself this was normal, and then she noticed all of the customers and employees. Girls with neon-colored skin and butterfly wings waited tables in skimpy aprons. At the tables were people with tails, fangs, sometimes horns; all of them were unique and terrifying. A few appeared ordinary, but when Xion peered closer, she saw their eyes weren't human.

_Get a grip! _she hissed, _This is your world. It's always been your world. You belong here._

_They won't hurt you._

Warily, Xion followed the four to an unoccupied circle, sitting down on a sofa with Roxas. Across from them sat Sora and Kairi. Riku got an armchair of his own. Everyone picked up a menu and began browsing.

"Um…" Roxas cleared his throat, "What's A, AB, B, and O?"

Riku answered monotonously, "Blood types. They serve vampires here."

The blonde momentarily turned green, but regained his posture and continued looking for a less grotesque meal. Xion saw a waitress walk out of the kitchen with a saucer holding a raw, juicy steak. She blinked, wondering if she should be surprised or not. Everyone ended up ordering something normal, Riku with black coffee, Sora and Kairi with hamburgers (cooked), Roxas got a breakfast sandwich and Xion got her favorite, something she'd doubted they carried: cucumber sandwiches.

"I'm sorry for your loss."

Riku unexpectedly spoke up. Roxas looked at him in brief astonishment. He thought no one had heard him when he said he and Xion were in mourning, "Thank you."

"We all know what it's like," Riku sipped from his plain mug, "Every Shadowhunter has lost someone precious to them. If they haven't, it's only a matter of time."

Kairi pouted her lip at him, "Fucking _brilliant _optimism."

Riku stuck his tongue out at her, to which she replied with the same gesture. Sora giggled through his full mouth. He swallowed and met Roxas's eyes, "So, what were they like?"

"Mom and Dad? They," Roxas swallowed the lump in his throat, "They were really kind, and fun, but they didn't let us out much. We were only allowed to hang out with friends if they came to our house. We didn't go anywhere, not even field trips. I already knew why."

They were silent for a moment. Roxas's eyes fell to his lap as he struggled not to cry. Xion put a hand on his arm but said nothing. Kairi hesitated before asking, "Why? It's not like you have the Voyancy rune."

Roxas looked up, "What?"

"Voyancy. Every Shadowhunter gets it when they're little to enhance their Sight and combat abilities. It goes on your dominant hand," the three held up their right hands in unison. Sure enough, just below the knuckles, an eye was drawn. Each was identical, and held an obvious power, "You guys don't have them!"

Riku sighed, "Calm down. They probably just had fairy ancestors; automatic Sight in fairy blood."

"Yeah, that's probably it."

"Do you guys have any runes at all?" Sora asked, scanning their bodies. It made Xion's skin crawl.

"We got runes from the Silent Brothers' ritual on infants," Roxas said, "I think."

"Whaddaya mean, you think?"

"Sora, hush," Riku looked at Xion as he said this, "They didn't live like us. Their parents kept them from the Shadow world. They didn't receive any training and have scarcely any knowledge about our lifestyle. You can't expect that much from them."

Xion didn't know whether to be grateful or not. Oddly enough, she felt a little offended. The words she wanted to throw back at Riku wouldn't come. He'd ensnared her eyes in a look just as intense, but like Xion, Riku was capable of appearing emotionless while holding the strength of a fierce tiger. Though one would think he was angry, the only thing Xion could detect from him was curiosity. Roaring silence filled her mind as she stared. Riku didn't look away either. They openly shared gazes, the silver tiger examining his prey, the prey captured in the beauty of his eyes. Roxas noticed and said nothing. He pretended to be engrossed in his sandwich. Sora was still oblivious, as opposed to Kairi. The redhead had picked up on the staredown and watched with piqued interest.

"You're part fairy too."

Everyone's ears perked up when Roxas opened his mouth. His eyes stayed fixed on his lap, but he spoke steadily without emotion.

"Shadowhunters can have pale hair, but only when they're older. Your roots aren't a different shade than your eyebrows, so that means you don't dye it and silver is your natural color. Only fairies can have premature silver hair. You grow it long so it hides your eyes, which can also only be passed down from the Fay."

"Roxas-" Xion tried cutting in, but Roxas continued speaking.

"I know that because we're not the kind of idiots you make us out to be. Mom was scared of the Shadow world and it's punishments, but not enough to stop my Dad from telling me about it. He told me all about Downworlders so I could protect myself, should I ever encounter one. Unfortunately, that knowledge was wasted on me…"

He made a sideways glance to Xion, who got the message. Cloud should have told Xion too. She was the one who couldn't handle the visions.

Riku's eyes gleamed, "What else do you know, kid?"

"You can't call me kid until you're eighteen and declared an adult by Shadowhunter law."

"Ooh, feisty. Tell me more."

"Downworlders are werewolves, vampires, fairies, and warlocks and the like. They're not demons, but Nephilim believe them to have demon diseases that twist their forms. You think you're better than them."

"No we don't."

"Yes, you do. You probably think we're lesser Nephilim because we have fairy blood. That makes you snobby, stuck up, conceited, and most of all," Roxas looked Riku dead in the eyes, "A goddamn hypocrite."

At that, Riku got to his feet, eyes blazing, to have Kairi stand up and block his path, "Alright, that's enough. Riku, this was supposed to be a friendly get-to-know-each-other breakfast. We could've done without the antagonization. And you," she looked pointedly at Roxas, "You just met us. Your father may have been a great Shadowhunter, but he didn't know everything. Until you know us personally, don't you dare think you have the right to judge us or claim to know us at all."

Her speech may have quieted Roxas, but Riku was still on fire. The boy appeared ready to punch the next thing that moved. Instead of exploding, he scoffed, and made his way outside, pausing only to spit, "Circle-son" at Roxas and Xion before exiting altogether.

As Kairi sat down, Sora sullenly ate his breakfast burger, trying to shrink in on himself. For a while no one said anything, until Xion said her first words since arriving:

"What did he mean, Circle-son?"

Sora choked on his burger and spat out a hunk of food into a napkin. Kairi patted his back, calming him down, then turned to Xion, "Circle-son, someone whose parents were in the Circle."

"But what _is _the Circle?"

"Was," Sora hacked, "Past tense. They're no more, thank Raziel."

"They were an evil group," Kairi nodded in agreement.

"Evil?"

"Yeah, didn't you know?"

"Know what?"

"Your parents, Cloud and Aerith Wolfstrife, along with every other Circle member, were considered evil. They betrayed the entire Nephilim race."


	6. Chapter 6

"That can't be."

"It's true, man," Sora gazed pitifully into Roxas's eyes, "I'm sorry."

Kairi sighed, "With the way you spoke about Downworlders, it was kinda obvious. The Circle was a group of Shadowhunters that hated Downworlders. They waited until the annual signing of the Accords, the peace treaty between us and Downworld, and attacked. Led by Valentine Morgenstern, the Circle slayed the Downworlders' representatives, their comrades, and Shadowhunters," Kairi's breath caught, "... with demonic blades. Soldiers from heaven turned against their own using the same power we've been fighting for centuries to destroy. They were barely defeated. Valentine's dead now, and the remaining Circle members that haven't been caught are either dead or in hiding."

"Like our parents…"

Roxas had stilled and let his eyes focus on the table. Next to him, Xion had abandoned her food. She rested her head on his shoulder to feel his head rest on top of hers, but she didn't need to see his face to know he was still overwhelmed.

"If it makes you feel any better," Kairi spoke gently, "Not all of them were really Valentine's followers. Valentine was, admittedly, very clever. Fucked up in the head, but clever. He had eyes and ears everywhere. If you showed signs of betraying him, he'd know. Most stayed simply because they feared what would happen otherwise. I'm sure your parents didn't actually hate Downworlders."

"But can you say with sincere clarity that they didn't kill anyone?"

In response to this, Kairi got up and bent down to Roxas's level, a reassuring smile on her lips, "C'mon, Roxy. I know you don't want to hear this, but they're not around anymore. You can't attack them with words and ask them why. It doesn't even matter. Don't let this change how you feel about them, just remember them as your parents, people who loved you and protected you, and honor their memory."

When Roxas brought his head up, there were tears rolling down his face. Xion could feel him shaking against her. His fingers came up to hide his eyes as he made sudden intakes of sputtering breath. Very gently, Xion turned Roxas to her, put his face on her collarbone, and wrapped her arms around him. She rubbed his back slowly while Kairi stood up. Xion then began humming Dearly Beloved, a lyricless lullaby Aerith would hum to Roxas and Xion when they were younger. The tune was soothing to Roxas even after he grew out of lullabies. It had the same effect on Xion; sometimes Roxas would hum to her when she was crying, though she didn't cry now. Cloud and Aerith were her guardians, but Roxas had been the closer one to them.

Kairi reached out her hand, "I'm sorry, I…"

"_Don't touch him._"

The glare Xion sent her made Kairi flinch. Sora came up from behind and placed a hand on her shoulder, slightly shaking his head. They met eyes, and without speaking, Sora made her understand. Kairi withdrew her hand, muttering "sorry" again before averting her eyes.

"Well," Sora smiled apologetically at Xion, "Now that you're full, what do you wanna do? The three of us finished our training earlier this morning so the day is free. We can do whatever you want."

Xion's face fell away to her usual blank stare, "I want to go home."

"Oh…" Sora's eyes slid to the side, "U-uh… I guess I meant to say, _almost _whatever you want."

"We're not allowed to go back?"

"No. Didn't Roxas tell you?"

Xion used her fingertips to lift Roxas's chin, "You didn't tell me we were staying with them."

"Xion, what did you think we'd do? What's there to go back to?"

"There must be something."

He sighed, wiping away tears with the back of his hand, "Even if we had some distant relatives to go to, we wouldn't be allowed. A Shadowhunter interfered with our lives, and by doing so, he's dragged us back into this world. We're not allowed to go back. From now on, it's only Downworlder and Nephilim places like Glitter Pups."

Sora interrupted, "That Shadowhunter saved your lives. Would you rather have burned to death or be Nephilim?"

"We've been Nephilim the whole time," Xion said, "If this life is how you described it, we're just going to die eventually."

"You can't think like that!" Kairi swerved and nearly shouted at Xion, "What we do matters! It doesn't matter if you're a human or a Nephilim or a Downworlder! Everyone has a life to live and a purpose to fulfill. And if you can't find your purpose, then live your life looking for a reason to live! Our time here means something! Yeah, we're going to die. It's inevitable, but it will never, _ever_, be in _**vain**_."

A yell came from the front of Glitter Pups, probably the manager, telling Kairi to settle down. Kairi swirled to curse him off. She didn't catch Xion staring at her astonishedly.

"Alright, we need to go," Sora laughed a little, "Before she gets us kicked out again."

"Oh, no, this _sparkle puppy_ needs to be put into his place."

"Kairi! We like this place, remember? Shut up!"

"Like hell I will!"

Sora smirked, then bent to grab Kairi's legs, and slung her over his shoulder like a knapsack. To this, Kairi immediately protested, punching Sora's back and kicking the air. He held her up with ease, "Let's go, guys."

Sora paid the waitress and led Roxas and Xion out, carrying a pouting Kairi the whole way. Thankfully the manager let them by without banning them from Glitter Pups. Outside, a gang of burly men had parked their motorcycles and were lounging against them, smoking. They regarded Roxas and Xion with smoldering golden eyes, but seemed to recognize Sora and Kairi, dipping their heads in a slight nod of respect. Xion picked up on Sora's tension, urging Roxas to walk a little faster to keep up with him. The air lifted a couple blocks later so Roxas piped up.

"Who were they?"

"Werewolves. The owner of Glitter Pups is in their pack so they're allowed to loiter."

"No one suspects them?"

"Nah," Kairi propped her head up on her elbows, bouncing with each of Sora's steps, "Glamour hides everything from mundanes. Gitter Pups, the Institution, anything supernatural. To a mundane, those guys are just ordinary bikers, though I doubt they'd want to mess with them anyway."

"The Institution is a closed off, broken-down church while Glitter Pups is a rotting shop open for rent," Sora added.

Xion looked around warily, "We're Glamoured?"

"Not unless we want to be. We're visible, but right now we're just a group of teens playing hookie, not half-angel warriors sent to destroy evil."

"Oh, same thing - -" Kairi started to giggle but suddenly stopped and froze. Her stillness alerted Sora, who put her down. Both of their eyes had brightened and widened, locking on to something behind Roxas and Xion. When Roxas turned to look over his shoulder, Sora whispered so low he could've been mistaken for the wind:

"_Don't._"

"_Sora." _Kairi spoke in an equally hushed tone, "_You see it too?_"

"_We should run. We can't take a Veil._"

She spat back, "_What choice do we have? It'll just follow us if we don't do anything._"

Sora cursed, then paused to scan the area. There was no one around. It was late morning, so everyone had gone off to work. Here, in a residential district, the only thing that could react would be a dog in a yard. No witnesses whatsoever. The brunette swore again, holding his hand out. Instantaneously, a giant key appeared in his grasp, shimmering with light. It resembled a sword with white veins covering it. Kairi summoned a similar weapon, although hers was rainbow and had flowers on the tip. Xion was engrossed with them, how beautiful they were, wishing she had some pencils so she could sketch them. For a while all she could do was look at them. It wasn't until she heard Roxas's scream did Xion turn around.


	7. Chapter 7

"_Roxas!_"

Xion pushed Roxas out of the way just as a giant tongue darted toward them. It wrapped around Xion, lifting her up high and toward an invisible foe. The thing was meters long; it took a few seconds to get Xion in front of its owner's face. As she drew near, the air warped like oil mixing in water. Colors swirled before her, and soon, Xion's ensnarer wasn't invisible anymore. Standing on its hind legs, towering over the Nephilim at nearly nine feet, was a dark grey chameleon. Its tan-striped limbs each ended in three talons that scratched deep ridges in the pavement when it moved. On its butt lashed a long, curled tail. The most outstanding feature was the strange heart-shaped black and red mark on its chest.

Its yellow eyes glowed brighter than headlights as it readied its claws to strike. Xion thrashed in its grip, whipping her head up and defiantly punching it in the eye. The thing shrieked, dropping her to the ground. She landed awkwardly on her side, giving a short gasp of pain, then got up and ran back toward the group.

"Are you alright?" Roxas grasped her by her shoulders, "Did it hurt you?"

"I'm fine."

Beside them, Kairi braced herself. "Sora!" was all she said, and then he flanked her right side as she charged toward the gargantuan beast. Their weapons were poised at their sides. While it was blinded, Sora ran quickly to its right side, slashing to the left. Kairi leapt toward Sora's blade and pushed off of it with her foot. The force Sora built up in the swing gave Kairi a boost large enough to allow her to reach its head. It took a mere second for Kairi to give a battle cry and strike the lizard's temple. Her key only nicked its cheek. When Kairi landed, the chameleon swatted her away with its claws in retaliation, sending her flying into the middle of the street. Roxas and Xion ran to Kairi's side.

Roxas held out his hand, "You okay?"

"_Fuck!" _Kairi's key vanished in a cloud of light. She sucked in air through her teeth and took shallow breaths. She pressed a hand to her ribs and winced. Red and black ichor coated her palm.

"What is that?" Roxas furrowed his brow.

"Demon poison," Kairi spoke quickly between breaths, crying out, "Sora!"

They all turned to see Sora battling the demon on his own. He couldn't land a hit and was constantly holding up his key to defend. Sweat sheened on his exposed skin and dampened his hair. Sora's muscles contracted as he kept moving to avoid the enemy's attacks. The only visible wound it had was the mark Kairi left earlier. If anything, the thing seemed to be moving faster and was growing more relentless. Sora shouted, "Get her somewhere safe!"

Without hesitation, Roxas bent down to grab Kairi under the arms. Xion got her legs. Carefully as they could, they carried Kairi up the driveway of one of the nearby houses and set her down on the porch stoop. Her body started convulsing, spasming into a fit of sharp and sudden jerks as if she was being electrocuted. For a minute she stopped, but soon threw her head forward and retched. The stairs and the front of her shirt were stained by the black sludge oozing from Kairi's mouth. Roxas felt his chest tighten in a panic.

Kairi hacked into the back of her fist, "This was my favorite fucking shirt, too…" she reached into her pocket and pulled out a cell phone, handed it to Xion, "First number."

Xion swiftly went into the phone's contacts and clicked on the top one listed. The dial tone beeped in her ear until a deep voice picked up on the other end.

"Rosekey? What is it?"

"It's Moongate."

"What happened to Rosekey?"

Frustrated, Kairi grabbed the phone from Xion and snapped into the microphone, "There's a fucking Veil Lizard you damn tuba-tonsil! It already got me; Sora's fighting it right now. We're in the fifth district. Send back-up or so help me Raziel I will haunt your ass til you go mad." Without waiting for an answer, Kairi hung up and returned the cell to her pocket. She answered Roxas and Xion's inquisitive stares with a satisfied smile, "We'll be fi- -" and was cut off by another round of vomiting.

Meanwhile, Sora had managed to remain unharmed, though he fought lacking energy. Just scarcely he stayed on his feet. His key was capable of preventing damage from the Veil's swipes, but every now and then, the lizard would fire beams from its eyes that honed in on Sora. Jumping at last second was the only thing preventing Sora from getting hit. Xion watched him in fascination. The way his body flowed like a river while he shot around with the same speed as lightning in a way no human could ever move was something Xion had never seen before.

She noticed Roxas getting up, "Where are you going?"

"I gotta help him."

"What? No, Roxas, wait!"

She didn't get up in time to stop him from leaping off the porch and into the street. Roxas yelled, "hey!" and waved his arms, directing the chameleon's attention on him. It screeched, eyes gleaming.

Sora's eyes widened, "Stop it! You're gonna get hurt!"

The brunette started to move, but couldn't get to Roxas in time. The Veil Lizard's tail swept the ground when it spun. It knocked Sora to the asphalt. All he saw was the road. All he heard was Roxas's cry of agony. When he tried pushing himself back up, the enemy's tail pinned him down. Its weight was too much for Sora, especially when it used force. Sora gritted his teeth through the pain of his rubs being crushed. Sounds were all he had to know what was happening. He heard Xion crying Roxas's name and Roxas's grunts. Kairi's noiselessness set Sora's heart beating at a rate triple the normal. Then there was an ear-splitting cry from the demon lizard, and a thud as it hit the ground. Someone lifted the pressure off of Sora's back. The second Sora was on his feet, he sheathed his key and went to sprint to the porch, but dropped to his knees and cried out. A few of his ribs were broken, piercing his lungs. Sora coughed up a bit of blood. Behind him, his rescuer's voice spoke out, "Heartlight, heal yourself. Take my stele."

"Kairi…" Sora pushed away his hand, and got up again, only to have the hands on him, "Let me go!"

"Hold on, kid."

"She's dying!"

"I know. But you can't do anything for her if you're dying too."

He felt the hands rip of Sora's shirt. The icy hot sensation of the stele resonated through him as an _iratze _was sketched on the center of his shoulderblades. Within a few seconds, the bones snapped back into place. Only a dull ache remained. Sora pulled himself free and ran, jumping over the steps and landing before the girls. He ignored Xion completely, kneeling before Kairi.

"Kairi!" he put his head on her chest to hear a weak, delayed heartbeat. Sora looked behind him, "Leonhart, did you bring it?"

Said man chuckled, walking up the steps leisurely, "Of course I did. I'm not an idiot like you," taking out a syringe. It was filled with a pale liquid, almost pure white but not completely opaque. "I got it." Holding Kairi's arm, he injected the liquid into the crook of her elbow, directly into a primary vein. Immediately, Kairi started breathing easier. Sora let out a sigh of relief.

"It's not over. That'll only last until we get to the Institute."

A nod was Sora's response. He gingerly placed his arms under Kairi's knees and arms, carrying her bridal-style down the steps. It was then that Sora saw Xion's eyes. Mortified, watery, waving, they wouldn't move from the street. Sora followed her gaze and almost dropped Kairi out of shock. There, laying in a pool of black blood, was the Veil Lizard. Its eyes had lost their light. The thing fell forward onto his chest. A clean slice ended the body at the neck; the lizard's head had rolled a few feet away. Anyone would have been put off by the gory scene, but only Xion could have screamed that loud at the body wrapped in the Veil Lizard's fingers. The talon going straight through his abdomen and coming out the other side dripping with black and red, the way his blue eyes stared hazily at the porch, right into them, with blood streaking down his chin, unleashed a cry so wild and emotional it scraped her throat raw.

His name, over and over again.

_Why won't he look up?_

Again.

_Why?_

And again.

_Roxas?_


	8. Chapter 8

The clock read 8:42 pm. Axel's eyes fluttered open to a dark ceiling. As they did every time Axel awoke, memories of his nightmares clouded his mind. Faces he knew all too well but hadn't seen for years berated him. Demons long gone still ran free there, in his dreamscape. All of it was drowned in blood. Axel looked down to his chest, sighing at what seemed to be the permanent rune on his chest. A faint crying brought his head back up. It came from across the hall. Getting up slowly, Axel walked over, pausing to press his forehead to his bedroom door until he heard her sob a name.

"Roxas…"

Axel's eyes darkened. As he ran to the escalator, Axel heard pounding on another bedroom door on the opposite side of the wing. He considered it for a moment, then went downstairs to enter the infirmary. There he found the catalyst to her crying.

Roxas was laying morbidly still in the first bed available. Next to him was Kairi Rosekey, a fellow trainee he knew and respected, though, like the rest of them, he rarely talked to. Both were asleep and bare-chested. Axel peered closer at Roxas. His shirt was gone, exposing an ugly, malicious mesh of marred flesh. In the center was a fading _iratze_, albeit Axel could tell from the almost black color of Roxas's skin that it was mainly for closing the wound. This was the work of a demon, and it'd gotten its venom into Roxas's body. Axel swore, inspecting Kairi to find she was in a better condition; any cuts she had were invisible and the only evidence to prove she was impaired was the same dark grey skin on her ribs.

"It's rude to gaze upon a lady when she's uncovered."

The redhead whirled to see Saïx standing with his arms crossed in the door frame. Axel snarked, "It's rude to startle someone,"

Saïx smirked, "Well, it is not my fault you weren't on guard."

"Whatever."

A moment went by before Saïx approached Axel, gazing down scornfully at Kairi, "Shame. She was such a great student."

"She was always late to class."

"No, that was you. I meant to say, what a pity that such a sharp weapon be dulled at the hands of an inferior opponent."

"What happened?"

"A Veil Lizard was following them."

Axel blinked, "Uh, that's not really an _inferior _opponent, per say… Kinda had them at a disadvantage, if you ask me."

"I'm not asking. I know they were biting off more than their inexperienced mouths could chew," Saïx turned to leave, stating matter-of-factly as he walked through the door, "Oh, don't get your hopes up on the boy. The Veil Lizard's talon penetrated his intestines on both sides. I highly doubt he will survive."

"But there's hope, right?"

What Axel got wasn't a response or even a word. Saïx gave a toss of the head, a careless grin, and left without doing anything else. For a minute, Axel's eyes lingered at the spot where Saïx last appeared, wandering over to Roxas's face. It almost frightened Axel how much Roxas wasn't moving. People constantly move, even in their sleep. There was always some sort of sign they were still alive. But Roxas's eyes didn't stir behind their lids. Axel couldn't tell he was breathing until he really concentrated and watched his chest rise a fraction of an inch.

_There's still hope. _

_That's not what you thought last time._

_Last time?_

_Yeah, your brother, you moron!_

_**You tried to kill me!**_

Axel physically punched himself in the head to shut out the voices. It didn't happen all the time. Mostly, he heard faint whispers he could dismiss. That was the first time he heard his brother's voice in a long time. Axel fisted his knuckles against his temples, rubbing slowly, "_Go away go away go away go away go away go away go away go away…"_

"Scarhallow?"

He jumped, his reverie disturbed, as Kairi sat up, covering her breast with the blankets at the end of the bed, "H-Hi…"

"Are you okay?"

He let out a breathless laugh, "You're dying of demon poison and you're asking _me _if I'm okay?"

"Yeah," she smiled, obviously exhausted, "We're not really friends but, speaking in Raziel's terms, you're my brother, so I gotta look out for you too, y'know?"

_You're my __**brother**__!_

"Scarhallow?" her tone became worried when Axel visibly shuddered.

"Stele."

"What?"

"_Give me your stele!"_

"Geez, fine, here."

When Kairi took her stele out of her pocket, Axel practically tore it out of her hand. Fingers shaking, Axel retraced the Fearless rune over his heart, inhaling and exhaling deeply. The blood throbbing through his head subsided, relaxing his body and eradicating the images. Once again, the angry riot became a single person, easier to ignore. Axel handed her the stele and was careful not to make eye contact, "Thanks."

"You're welcome…" Kairi asked him again, concerned, "Are you sure you're okay?"

A sigh, "That's a great question."

With that, Axel left the room of foreboding white, going back upstairs to change so he could go out again. By the opening lift doors he heard the continuous slamming on the door. Axel waited for the noise to die down. It didn't, forcing Axel to shout.

"Knock it off in there!"

"LET ME OUT OF HERE."

Axel blinked, mildly astonished, "Heartlight?"

"I SAID LET ME OUT!"

"Never heard you this riled up before. What happened, Saïx pop your balloon?"

"I JUST WANT TO SEE KAIRI."

"Rosekey?"

"Yes!" Sora sounded on the verge of tears, "She's dying. I get that. You can't be a Shadowhunter and not accept death. I get that. But please, _**please**_, let me out. Let me see her, be with her, for one last time…"

"They locked you in here?"

"DiZ had Leonhart take Xion and me away. They didn't want us interfering with the healing process, I guess…"

"It was necessary, dude. Chill. I just saw Rosekey and Wolfstrife. They're fine."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Just go to sleep."

Whether or not Sora obeyed, Axel never knew. He'd abandoned the cause by that point, making his way back to his room. In a minute Axel had changed into worn-out jeans and a black leather jacket. Axel noticed as he was leaving that Xion had gone quiet since he last left her.

"This is probably a bad idea," he mumbled to himself, then knocked on her door. She answered it with bloodshot eyes and a tear-stained face.

"What."

"I heard you crying earlier and wanted to see if you were okay."

"Oh, you're coming to my rescue? Like you did last night?" Xion's expression convinced Axel that this was, in fact, a bad idea, "Thanks to you, my _hero_, Roxas is dying. It's all your fault."

"It is not."

"If you hadn't saved us, we wouldn't be here."

"At least you'd be dying together, right?" Axel sighed, absently scratching the back of his head, "Trust me when I say I know exactly how you feel."

Axel thought he saw Xion's eyes flicker, though it must have vanished as soon as it came.

"Alright, I'll make it up to you. Tonight. Whatever you want to do, I'll make it happen."

"I want to go home."

"Right now? Roxas wouldn't be able to come with you."

"I know. I just want to visit."

"You got it," Axel smiled sincerely, adding silently, "It'll be better than getting into a fight, anyway."

* * *

Garbage and demolition trucks hadn't come to clear away the rubble yet. There wasn't really a rush, it seemed. Axel kicked a black piece of drywall away, grunting "lazy mundanes" as Xion passed him into the field of ashes that used to be the living room. Some articles hadn't been completely destroyed by the fire and blinked at Xion like familiar stars in a charred night sky. As the upstairs hadn't collapsed onto the downstairs, a staircase prevailed. Xion left the living rooms, uninterested in furniture.

"You know," Axel said, walking directly behind her up the burnt stairs, "Most people would be a wreck by now. Why are you so calm?"

Xion returned, emotionless, "This was just a house. It was never my home."

"If they were all just houses, did you ever have a home?"

"Roxas is my home."

It was then that a step cracked and gave way beneath Xion's foot. Axel darted forward, grabbing her waist and pulling her out of the hole. He set her down on the step above, continuing the conversation, "It's not a good idea to tie yourself down to one person."

For the first time since they'd arrived, Xion locked eyes with Axel, "I don't remember my parents that well. Even if I did, I doubt this feeling of carelessness would vanish. As far as I can tell, Roxas is the first thing I've ever cared about."

"But it's not the only thing?"

"It's not," Xion resumed walking up the stairs, "That's why we're here."

Despite the second floor being intact, that was the only structure really standing. The walls separating each room were no longer there; the roof was only just held up by a few beams. Axel examined them worriedly, following Xion closely, and practically bumped into her when she halted before the remnants of her and Roxas's old bedroom. Similar to downstairs, a few things were salvageable. Against the far wall was the same glass table Axel had found them underneath last night. Xion hunched over to move it aside and sift through the items that had been sheltered by it. It took six seconds for Xion to find a leather-bound sketchbook. Xion brushed off the soot and rubble as if she were cleaning a fragile fossil. Axel cocked his head to the side when she hugged it to her chest and kissed its bindings.

"Thank you, Axel."

Axel was actually surprised by her gratitude, mostly because it was a positive feeling, and it was directed at him, from her. He recovered by awkwardly running his fingers through his red spikes, "No problem, I break the rules all the time."

A creaking noise captured Axel's attention. It stopped, and came back louder. He looked to the wooden beam across from them. It was clearly worn out, and holding way too much weight. There were supposed to be three others sharing the burden, but they'd been reduced to a pile of charred crisps. Xion saw it too and wordlessly agreed with Axel it was time to leave. As they reached the stairs, Axel heard it as well as Xion the _snap _from behind them. Panicked, Xion started to run to the front door, but was stopped by a grip on her arm. Axel pulled her into him, wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pressing her head into his chest, and used the other arm to summon a giant key that resembled the chakrams in his room. It blazed as red as Axel's hair, firing a beam straight into the ceiling and through the roof. The house fell apart around them. Axel squeezed Xion and her drawing pad closer so the descending parts didn't graze them. He laughed out loud, shooting another bullet of pure light into the air to widen the protective circle. Xion paused, let out a giggle, then full-out laughed with Axel as she watched her old life melt away from her.


	9. Chapter 9

Sometimes when people are upset, they go to some place secluded, some place quiet, to be alone. Having people around would be too much of a burden and a distraction. Silence is solace. This was not the case with Riku. Trained and raised like a soldier, the only place anything truly made any sense was on the battlefield, where silence was the first thing to die. In combat, all he needed to know was his weapon, his allies, and his enemy. His key's name was _Way to the Dawn_. His enemy was a hanging sack of hard sand. His allies were his best friend, Kairi, and Sora, his _parabatai_.

Riku could still remember that day, years ago, when they swore themselves to each other in the Shadowhunter ritual. They each received identical I-shaped runes, binding them together forever as brothers in battle. Ever since, Sora and Riku were frequently aware of each other's status as a side effect of being _parabatai_. One would feel whenever the other would die. Earlier, when Riku left Glitter Pups, he came here, to the training room, to calm down. An hour or so later he felt his back suddenly throb in pain. He figured it was from the vigorous training. It wouldn't have been the first time he pulled a muscle. But when he heard the Institute doors bang open and all the clamor around the infirmary, Riku began to think it wasn't his back. Riku went upstairs, decked out in training gear and covered in sweat, in time to see DiZ close the apothecary's doors behind him. There was no one else around.

"What's going on, Stormguild?" he asked as a soldier reporting to an officer.

"Disregard it."

The man's tone was slightly concerned, something only a few could detect. Riku waited until he was out of sight, then checked to see the door was locked by a special rune. It'd fade over time, enough time to let whoever was inside operate without being disturbed. The glass was covered by a white sheet, cutting off any view of inside. A chill set on Riku's spine as he wondered if it was Sora being operated on. His back stopped hurting, although his chest ached like he was missing someone. Riku prayed to Raziel it wasn't foreshadowing.

It was only around 9:12 pm, way past dinner time. A pit in Riku's stomach prevented Riku from really craving anything. However, dedicated to his fitness, Riku knew skipping a meal was never wise. DiZ said there was nothing to worry about. Riku didn't totally trust him, but it was the only thing that Riku could cling to, telling him it was safe to go downstairs and grab a bite to eat, instead of staying here and waiting for Sora. Still, as he descended in the lift, a sense of wrongness intensified the pang in his chest. It only strengthened when he got to the kitchen to find it devoid of anybody.

_More for me, I guess._

Riku commenced with the usual search of what wasn't stale and inedible. Usually there was some leftover pizza or something from nights before, but no one ever cooked. The extensive dining room across the hall was only used for meetings between DiZ and members of the four C's: Clave, Council, Covenant, and Consul, the four organizations that make up the Shadowhunters' government and uphold their laws. DiZ was close with Clave members, often having them over mainly for sentimental reasons, but these meetings meant nothing when the law was considered. Whenever something serious arose, DiZ and the Clave may as well be strangers, since they treated the questioned like a source of answers and not a real person.

"_Sed lex, dura lex."_

_The law is hard, but it is the law._

A harsh laugh hissed through Riku's teeth. Before his thoughts could reach the past, another noise resonated throughout the kitchen. The noise resembled air escaping a balloon. Riku summoned _Way to the Dawn_ and burst out the door. Where he was expecting a hoard of Shadows, he was disappointed to find an empty corridor. Again, he heard the familiar whistle of a Shadow's signature movements. Riku cautiously followed the source until he saw one, flat against the ground, slithering its way up the wall. It vanished into the ceiling through a pit of darkness. There was no time to wait for the lift. Riku took the stairs two at a time to the third floor.

_This is impossible…_

Riku's mind raced as fast as his feet whilst he pursuited the Shadow. All of his lessons he recited in his head. It helped him think clearer. Still in training, the most Riku new about the Institute was that it was constructed on holy grounds and enforced with Shadowhunter runes, bones, and blood, meaning it really was physically impossible for demons to enter an Institute.

_Where is it? _

The sound had grown louder, and a smell began wafting through the air. Riku knew that scent from dozens of encounters with lesser demons on patrol. They smelled of their world; rotting, decaying, something that'd make an untrained Nephilim's stomach flop. Shadows smelled like burnt rubber. It was pungent enough to alert Riku of their number. There had to be a least six.

_Okay okay okay, here we go… Wait. _

Around the corner, Riku saw it twitching, scanning its surroundings but keeping to the floor to remain invulnerable. Part of the strategy to fighting these was waiting until they became three-dimensional and then attacking. As it was now, Riku couldn't do anything but observe. It had no markings on it, nothing to signify it was being controlled.

_So it's working for the big guy downstairs. No one summoned it and placed their mark. _

Then it moved again. Its claws dragged it toward one of the wings with bedrooms. Riku tailed at a distance, watching with sparking eyes as it lurched off to the end of the hall. It went under the crack of a closed door. Riku went to go after it when he heard weak knocking on a nearby door. He looked to the Shadow, then to the door, gave a frustrated grunt, and attempted opening it. It was locked by a superior rune, the same one used downstairs on the infirmary's entrance. No way could Riku unlock either of them. The most he could unlock was maybe a jewelry box. With a hammer.

He relaxed _Way to the Dawn_ and knocked back, "Hello?"

"Riku?"

"Sora?"

He'd been so engrossed in Shadowhunting he hadn't realized he was right next to his _parabatai_'s room.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Can you get me out?"

"If you can't, I can't. Neither of us know the rune to unlock."

"Shit…"

Riku knew he only cursed when he was upset. Remembering that uncomfortable feeling earlier, he asked again, "Are you alright?"

"It's Kairi… She's dying. So is Roxas. And DiZ won't let anyone see them."

"Do you know why?"

"A Veil Lizard attacked us. It was labelled with a black and red heart. The fucking thing scratched Kairi and impaled Roxas, and I…" Sora's voice cracked, "I should've…"

"It's not your fault," Riku said in a way so soft he only used for his allies, "We haven't been taught to fight greater demons yet. There's nothing you could've done. Hey, at least Xion is still alive, right? And you. You're still here." _Thank Raziel._

"Xion must hate me so much."

"Sora…"

"And Kairi," Riku felt the twist in his chest from Sora, "Scarhallow said she was fine, but… It's still my fault…"

"Sora, please. It could never be your fault. Whoever summoned the demon is to blame."

_Speaking of demons…_

"Wait here, okay? I'll be right back."

"Riku, wait. I know that tone. What's going on?"

No answer.

"Riku?"

The last door to the right was the only one illuminated. Riku never bothered to check the other rooms' occupants, since it never mattered to him, but when he peaked through the keyhole, he found out this was Saïx Foxway's room. Said man was seated by a fireplace that crackled with blue flame. Riku's eyes widened as the Shadow climbed out of the second dimension and stood before Saïx. Saïx gazed proudly at it, almost as a father would his son when he won a race. It's glowing eyes matched Saïx's gaze. Riku could've sworn it purred when Saïx bent down and rubbed its head.

Saïx smiled warmly, "Anything to report?"


	10. Chapter 10

"You have five more minutes to give me a good reason why I shouldn't rip your throat out right here right now."

"Enough, Highwind," DiZ kept his eyes on Saïx, dulled from several long hours of interrogation, "He will talk when he is ready."

Saïx rolled his eyes, "There is nothing to talk about. I didn't summon any demons."

"Then explain the smells and the darkness."

"Look, it's as I told you a thousand times already," Saïx growled, "I was practicing glamouring a cat to make it look like a Shadow. That's all."

"You could train it to spy on other demons…" DiZ mused.

"Exactly. If you go back into my room, you won't find any pentagrams or summoning books or any shit like that. You'll find a cat under my bed because you exploded into my room and scared it."

Riku slammed his hands on the table, "What about the darkness?" his voice rose, "Cats don't climb through ceilings and smell like melting tires! They don't disappear into the darkness!"

"They could if you put enough glamour on them." Saïx countered.

"Stormguild!"

The Sanctuary was a building adjoined to the Institute, built on unhallowed ground. As there was no angelic substances fortifying it, it could be used to house Downworlders who had part demon blood. Miles underground, there were cells that held fugitives from demons to Downworlders to rogue Shadowhunters. At the moment's notice of Saïx's possibly having summoned a demon, DiZ called on Squall and Vexen to forcibly restrain Saïx and bring him to the Sanctuary's dungeon. Riku came along, still vibrating from the hunt. That'd been a bad decision. Until dawn, the whole questioning process had been DiZ calming Riku down with Vexen and Squall sitting in chairs behind them. Thankfully around 1:00 am Riku got tired, although he was still pumped enough to demand answers.

DiZ sighed, "The sun must be up by now. We should leave this for another time."

"What about Foxway?"

"He's an adult, but he hasn't stopped studying. Foxway is too young and inexperienced to know or perform any demonic summoning spells. The only thing he can summon is his Keyblade. However…" DiZ's eyes stared into the distance as he said this, "Highwind is right. Glamours don't smell. It may not have been Saïx - -"

"_May_?"

"... But someone did summon them. Demons cannot enter the doors or windows, so they came by pentagram, and escaped."

"DiZ."

This got DiZ's attention. Riku never called anyone by their first name other than his friends, as was custom by most Shadowhunters.

"It's still impossible. The hallowed holy ground should incinerate them the moment they set foot inside. A pentagram would literally be the only way they could live inside of here."

"I'm aware," DiZ yawned, "Iceshield, get to the bottom of this."

Vexen straightened, "Stormguild, you have to know, there really is no way…"

"There obviously is. Find it."

"... Understood."

"Highwind, get some sleep. Training is postponed for a while."

Riku reluctantly nodded. Squall spoke up, "And what of Foxway?"

DiZ went to exit the cell. He answered over his shoulder, "Keep him in here under constant supervision. And all of you, not a word of this to the Clave. I am not to be misunderstood."

The four left in the room sat in awkward silence. Before any of them moved, all of them heard Vexen mumble to himself, "I'm not sure he understands… If the demons weren't labelled, who's to say they were even summoned in the first place?"

* * *

Foreboding and dread was what kept Axel away from the infirmary on any other day. Last night, it was Xion wanting to see Roxas that made him step through the doors willingly. By the time they returned from the ruins of the Johnson residence, the locking rune had faded, and the sheet had been removed. As Xion ran inside, Axel read the note on the door:

_I have removed the toxins from their bodies. When I left them, they were breathing. If they are not when you see them, you have my most sincerest apologies. I did all I could, and left Raziel to do the rest. Should he have chosen not to save these children, then we must respect that, as we do all of our dead. Only sunrise will tell. _

_~ Brother Lexaeus_

"Wow," Axel muttered aloud, "He got the Silent City involved?"

"Look, Roxas!"

Axel peeked his head around the piece of paper to see Xion kneeling beside Roxas's bed, showing him her sketchpad. If Xion was frightened by Roxas's condition, she didn't show it. A small smile creeped its way onto Axel's face before he entered the room and stood on the other side of Roxas's bed, watching silently on. Xion took note of his presence.

"Do you want to see my drawings too?"

"If you don't mind showing them to me."

As no one ever listened to her other than Roxas, Xion had never shown anyone else her drawings. They were a little more than special to her. Like other girls kept diaries, Xion's sketchpad was journal of pictures. Each one held a meaning that only Xion could see. But Xion wanted to show Axel a little bit of herself and Axel could see this. Whether it was gratitude for earlier or something else entirely, Axel couldn't guess the reason why. Regardless, he took the chair from the medicine table and set it by Roxas's bed while Xion sat opposite him on her knees. Axel paid more attention to Xion than he did all of his Shadowhunting lessons combined.

"Alright," she said, flipping through the pages, "Oh! See, Roxas? It's a werewolf, which _is _real, by the way."

Axel thought he could feel his heart warming at Xion's humor, however corny. As Xion turned every page, Axel saw not only was she a great artist, but he could see how much she loved them. She handled every page like a delicate flower, a child born from her hand that need significant care.

"And this one! The 'fay', as you so call them. They're real too."

From beautiful drawings of mermaids to fearsome scratchings of warlocks, Xion's whole notebook was full to the brim of amazing pieces of art. When she reached the last page, Axel said lowly, "You saw a lot of them, didn't you?"

Xion was quiet for a moment, and finally replied with, "Yes. They scared me, a lot. But, none of them ever hurt me, and I never stopped trying to get other people to believe that they were there."

"You cared about them."

Axel stared at Xion, eyes wide and mouth slightly parted.

"I… I heard you, a while back, arguing with Roxas. You said the other kids bullied you and ripped apart your drawings… but you still cared. You wanted to save them."

"Well, yeah," Xion looked pointedly into Axel's eyes, a sad smile on her face, "Anyone would."

_No, not anyone. _

"I guess that's part of being Nephilim, right?"

"Y-Yeah…"

"Axel?"

"Nothing."

"What?"

"It's nothing. Listen, I'm tired, I'm gonna go to bed, so, seeya tomorrow."

Then Axel went to his room, leaving Xion with Roxas. He didn't hear speak.

"You know, he's not that bad. We should thank him. And… Roxas? I don't care anymore. I understand now. There really is nothing to go back too. But you know what? That's fine with me. There's a better art room here, and the people here are just like us. But, most importantly, I have you. At the house, I told Axel that you were my home. And, that's the truth. I see that now. It doesn't matter where I am as long as I have you. So, hurry and wake up, alright? I…"

Morning came, as well as DiZ to the apothecary. He found Xion sleeping with her head on her arms, resting at Roxas's feet. After the tolling rounds with Saïx, it helped him to see such a thing. DiZ smiled, a real, personal smile. For a minute, nothing happened, then DiZ was surprised by the blinking of blue eyes.

Roxas yawned, "DiZ?"

"Shh," he whispered, gestured to Xion and Kairi, "They are still resting. Wait until they are awake to stretch. How are you feeling?"

"Tired, mostly. It doesn't hurt anymore."

"That is good."

"You look tired. Did something happen?"

DiZ held a warding hand off, "No, no, do not fret about it. I must take my leave. If Rosekey wakes up, tell her training is postponed until further notice."

_If?_

Roxas started, "Wait, she's not gonna die, is she? She can't!"

"Relax, Wolfstrife," DiZ gave a reassuring smile, "Everything will turn for the better, in the end."

"That doesn't mean Kairi needs to die."

"Sometimes, it does."

That same smile touched DiZ lips as he departed. Roxas's eyes were wide, on his lap.

"Xion…"

Her hand was on his leg, limp in her slumber. Roxas took it in his own, sitting up and bending forward to touch it to his forehead. It was soft and artistic, as well as comforting and familiar. Back during their childhood years, Xion would pet Roxas's hair. He'd feel her palm on his head and melt like a dog being scratched in his one spot. Cloud made her stop after a while. As a father, he knew how growing up was like for an adolescent boy. He didn't want relations between Roxas and Xion other than those of siblings. Roxas would hear him talk to Aerith at night about how he regretted not telling Roxas that Xion was his sister or at least distant cousin. There was no need, in Aerith's opinion. But sometimes, Roxas would lay awake and watch Xion sleep. He'd observe how the moonlight illuminated her hair so the shadows turned to blue, the way her fingers twitched as though itching for her pencils, and feel, against everything else, at peace, knowing she was safe, but it wasn't enough. Roxas had the urge to climb into bed with her, wrap his arms around her, bury his face in her neck; he had to live with just being in the same room. Even now, Roxas wanted Xion under the covers with him, holding him. Never anything sexual, just the sensation of holding her close, hearing her breath.

Roxas lowered her hand from his brow. He could see her face, on the crook of her elbow, completely slack and defenseless. Before she woke up, the walls she built to keep people out weren't there. Xion was there, in her sleep, vulnerable and exposed. There she was, long lashes brushing her cheekbones, jaw not as set, soft, pink, lips slightly parted…

_No. You need to stop. She's like a sister to you. You're all she has left. Don't ruin this. _

He whispered, "Please, forgive me, Raziel. I have sinned, not letting this beautiful creation of yours know that she is perfect in every imperfect way. Give me the strength to do so, and to endure…"

Roxas choked on his words. On his legs, Xion stirred, though didn't awaken. A sigh of relief flowed through his mouth before he jumped at the voice beside him, "Roxas?"

Kairi had sat up, spreading her arms until they cracked. Roxas stuttered, "Y-you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I've been through worse. But, listen, I heard that little prayer just now and, well…" she popped the air out of her spine by leaning back, "This is a new world. Things are different now."

"I know that."

"No, I don't think you do."

Kairi hopped off the bed, making sure to keep the blanket tied around her chest.

"Dude, I know for a fact that I might die young. That's part of being a Shadowhunter. I've known death was coming for me the second I began training. What if Xion chooses to fight? Then you're left with unrequited emotions and a broken heart. Trust me when I say from first-hand experience it sucks ass."

"You lost someone?"

"No, not me. Riku."

"_Riku_?"

She morosely laughed, "Yeah, hard to believe, right? Her name was Naminé. They were really close, like you and Xion, for years. Everyone but Naminé saw how in love Riku was with her, but…"

"She was killed."

"Basically. The two of them were on patrol and a newly-transformed werewolf found them. Werewolves, the first time they turn, are very strong, and very dangerous. They don't know how to control their power yet. They don't have a conscious, almost as if they've gone berserk. It wasn't the wolf's fault he killed her. Riku was about to slay it, and then Squall showed up and stopped him. Ever since that day Riku's trained the hardest out of all of us. I think it's to compensate for not being strong enough to protect Naminé. Anyway, he never told her how he felt, and I can see how it destroys him every day. There's so much darkness in there, in his broken heart…"

Kairi's breath caught.

"That's it."

"What's it?"

"Remind me to contact Stormguild later. But, yeah, Roxas. Don't wait until it's too late."

"Xion doesn't have to fight. She might not choose what Naminé did."

"No, she might not, but what about you?"

"I don't have to fight either…"

"Roxy…" Kairi sighed, putting her hands on her knees and bending down to eye-level with Roxas, "As I said before, this is a _new world_. There's gonna be more people, people who will be like her and be able to understand her. What if she meets someone else?"

"Someone else?"

"Yeah. There's a plethora of Nephilim boys that'd like her."

"None of them would ever deserve her."

"You feel you do?"

"No one will ever deserve her."

"Then show her that. Nothing's stopping you now."

_Not exactly. _

"Okie-dokie, I'm gonna go shower. There's no rush, but keep in mind what I said, okay? Someone sweet as you doesn't need that. Oh, and don't worry," she winked, "Your secret's safe with me. Seeya later!"

"Bye…"

Thoughts weighed down Roxas's head. He let out a defeated groan, shutting his eyes and praying again to Raziel that Xion didn't hear a word of that.


	11. Chapter 11

For such a composed man, DiZ's office looked like the aftermath of a hurricane followed by a dozen tornadoes. Things from unfiled papers to books to diagrams and even misplaced wrappers from takeout cluttered the room. Only a few were brave enough to suggest that DiZ clean it or at least organize it, but they all got the same "genius has its own methods" speech about how if the room was disturbed in even the slightest bit, DiZ wouldn't know where to find anything. Regardless, he took into stride that he needed a desk to work at, so the only thing really visible was said desk, and the chairs on either side of it. DiZ sat with his back to the window at his desk, erect purely to assure others their leader was fine. Kairi sat across from him, arms on the rests of the chair in defiant fists.

"A broken heart?" DiZ stroked his chin as though his beard was still there from decades ago.

"Well, yeah, what else would it be?"

"It could be a number of things related to the heart."

"I'm telling you, I know it's a broken heart!"

"Prove to me it is."

"I don't know, but, you could just _tell_ by looking at it," Kairi's voice turned somber, "You could feel this ache in your chest. Not from fear or fatigue or anything like that. It felt like losing someone. Someone… very important."

"That all sounds very interesting, and I will keep it in consideration, but I hope you know that hallucinations are a common side effect of demon poisoning."

Kairi slammed her fist on the desk, "_I know what I saw, asshole! Ask any of the others, they'll testify!"_

"Inside voice, Rosekey. Language."

Kairi opened her mouth wide and yelled, punching the desk with each word, "_**FUCK. YOUR. LANGUAGE.**_"

The chair skid back when Kairi stood up and left the office, stomping her feet on the way. All down the hallway she growled under her breath.

"Fucking asshole shitdick prick donkeyfucker I went all the way to the _first floor _without a _shirt_ or a _bra_ to tell you this fucking _important detail_ and you're all like," Kairi closed one eye and spoke in a mock-deep voice, "_Oh you were just hallucinating stupid bitch you didn't practically die for nothing _yeah well," she flipped off the office door now a few meters behind her, "_**UP YOURS, ASSHOLE!**_"

"Geez, Kai! Get your twat in a twister?"

Kairi jumped, swerving to see a woman in black gear enter the Institute. Yuffie Crosswheel, an elder cousin of Kairi's that lived at the Institute, smirked at her and approached.

"DiZ giving ya trouble?"

"Motherfucker wouldn't listen to me."

"I'm sure he took into account what ya said and ya just read it wrong."

"How do you know?"

"Cuz that's the kind of bitches we are," Yuffie put her hand on her chest, using a fake Shakespearian accent, "'Our fire doth burn so bright, it easily blindeth us.'"

"That was the cheesiest bullshit I have ever heard."

"Hey, The Great Shadowhunter Yuffie can be poetic!"

"She can _try_."

Yuffie shoved Kairi playfully to get shoved back. Ten years older than Kairi, and the only difference between them was that Yuffie was more of a lech while Kairi couldn't care less about romance of any kind. As Kairi's parents were important Clave members, they resided in Idris, the homeland of Shadowhunters, to keep the government running. They left tomboy Yuffie to care for Kairi. Yuffie undoubtedly rubbed off on her, though kept her lust under control so she could raise Kairi properly. She taught the little redhead that it was alright to love things other girls didn't, like monster trucks instead of princesses. If it'd been anyone else teaching her the ropes, Kairi would've never cursed as much as she did, especially in front of her superiors.

"Well, I'm done with the fuckin' night shift if ya wanna go mano-a-mano. Or are ya still recovering?"

"I'm fine, just lemme get my gear."

"Oh, no, I wanted ya to fight without a shirt on."

Kairi was momentarily startled by Yuffie's serious tone. Sometimes it was hard to tell if she was kidding or not, "Um."

"What? Ya never know if a demon's gonna rip your armour off. Gotta learn what it's like to throw away dignity and focus on the enemy, even when your tits are flappin' in the wind."

"Because _The Great Shadowhunter Yuffie_ knows _so much _about _dignity_."

"Listen, that one time was an accident - -"

"_You ran after a guy completely naked into the middle of the street calling him a, and I quote, 'filthy demon-herpes infested pile of elephant shit'._"

"Yeah, fucker deserved worse…"

"Yuffie, all he did was use your damn toothbrush. That was after you fucked him, and after his tongue was in your mouth."

"I don't fucking care if we exchanged saliva! Sharing a toothbrush is just gross!"

"... Okay, I'm getting my gear. I'll meet you in the training room, slut."

"Back atcha, bitch."

The two went their separate ways, Yuffie to the training room, Kairi to the lift. She pressed the up button and leaned back against the elevator's walls, heaving a sigh. This wasn't the first time Kairi had faced off with death. Once, she came even closer to it, when she was only three years old. She still lived with her parents at the time. The Rosekey couple were instructed to join the party on their way to an area where demonic activity was reported. Kairi wanted to help, but was too young and had little to no training. Her parents told her to stay home with the babysitter. Whether it was Nephilim instinct or plain stubbornness, Kairi waited until the sitter fell asleep, then slipped out and followed her parents' party. She was one of the lucky Shadowhunters that could prematurely summon their Keyblade. This fact gave her confidence that she had enough talent and skill to help take down any enemy. Consequentially, Kairi's ribs were shattered by a Gigas Shadow, though her spirit remained strong. Kairi was always one to dive head-first into danger, but the first time she was gravely injured was long before she had made any friends. Now there were more people besides her family that cared about her.

_I hope I didn't worry them…_

A few minutes later the doors slide open into the third floor. Kairi pushed herself off the wall, readjusting the blanket around her torso, and continued walking. Her room was near the farthest end. As she passed the first few doors, Kairi heard a small thud behind one. Her heart set off when she realized it was Sora's.

"Sora?"

There was no response.

"Sora, I'm coming in!"

The door wasn't locked. It actually opened quite easily. A limp figure was what was leaning on the door, and slumped forward onto the floor when it gave way. Kairi's head buzzed in a frenzy. She bent down to turn it over.

"Sora?"

Sora didn't move. Instead, he let out a sort of snort, rolling onto his side, facing Kairi. She saw the dark bags hallowing his cheekbones, the jumble of brown spikes all messed up. The brunette was still in the same pants he wore yesterday, but his shirt was missing for some reason. Kairi placed a hand on his shoulder and pulled slightly so she could see the faint remains of an _iratze _between his shoulderblades. Other than that, Sora seemed perfectly fine. He was just exhausted from staying up all night after the fight.

Kairi smiled, "Oh, Sora…"

It was then that Sora's eyes opened. They were a little hazy from the brief slumber, but quickly cleared up as he blinked a few times. Sora looked awestricken up at Kairi's face. A moment passed, and Sora moved. He pulled himself toward her with his arms, not getting up, staying on the floor. Sora reached her, muscles tense on his back and biceps. Kairi kept completely still as he wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face into her stomach. The boy began shaking, and Kairi felt the blanket dampening.

"Sora…"

She leaned forward to enclose Sora's head in her arms, placing her head on his. Kairi rubbed his hair soothingly.

"C'mon, you need some sleep. DiZ told me training was put on hold, so you can sleep all day if you want. Up we go."

Kairi gradually got to her feet, Sora reluctantly releasing her. She took Sora's arm and held him up, letting him use her as support as they hobbled to his bed. The girl tucked him in, bringing the covers up to his chin and fluffing his pillow. Before Kairi could get up and leave, Sora grabbed her wrist.

"Don't…" he whispered, "Don't leave me."

Kairi sat back down.

"I thought I could accept it, but… I can't… Don't go, Kairi. Please."

"It's okay, Sora. Go to sleep." Kairi whispered back, brushing his bangs out of his eyes with her fingertips.

"Just… promise me you'll be there, when I wake up."

It was a while before Kairi replied, "Sora, I can't say that I'll live longer than you. We're Shadowhunters. Every day is a surprise. But, I can assure you," she met his eyes with a warm smile, "I will always, _always_, be there," she pointed to her heart, "In here."

Sora's tears lessened. He beamed at her, eventually nodding off. Kairi made sure he was fully out, then spoke hushedly.

"I'm so sorry, Sora. You stayed up all night waiting for me. When I finally came, you were barely there. I'm so sorry for worrying you. I… I swear on the name of the Angel, that I'll be more careful… Sleep well."

The curtains were closed, the doors were shut, and Kairi left Sora to the sleep he so needed.

_Okay, Kairi. This is good. Now you know your purpose. _

_It's really simple. _

_Every time Sora wakes up, you need to be there. _

_Always._


	12. Chapter 12

The kitchen was unusually vacant for morning. Well, it was morning for Axel. He usually got up around noon, then went to get food and go off to train. It was lucky for him that the Institute's instructor, Squall Leonhart, did two shifts: early morning, and late afternoon. Axel was at least awake by the time his lessons started.

Axel scratched his bare chest and made a sort of half-yawn half-groan, "Cooooooffeeeeeeeee…"

As he settled at the isle in the middle of the tile floor with his mug, someone else entered the room. Riku Highwind, some kid with a dark past and a darker personality. Axel wasn't sure how he felt about him, but Riku was useful in combat, definitely a strong fighter, so what did he have to complain about? He raised his mug and gave a casual, "Mornin'."

The salutations caught Riku off guard. Axel didn't talk to anyone, really. He kept to himself, was lazy with his training, went out to get wasted a lot, and all throughout was in love with mundane music. Saying Riku thought he was strange would've been an understatement. Riku, always diligent, was already dressed and regarded Axel's afternoon attire without amusement, "Did you just get up?"

Axel snickered, "Maybe."

"I thought you'd be more on edge."

"Hm? Why's that, Tinker Bell?"

"What's a tinker-bell?"

"O-oh, um," Axel scratched his head, "Nevermind, you wouldn't know."

Riku looked at him like he had three heads, "Alright, Scarhallow. Anyway," Riku grabbed an apple out of the fridge and bit into it, not minding his manners in the slightest by speaking with his mouth full, "I figured you'd heard about your _parabatai_."

"What?" that got Axel's attention. The smug expression on his face melted away to a blank sheet.

"DiZ locked him away."

"I didn't know."

"I guess that explains why you're not with him."

"Where is he?"

"The Sanctuary."

Coffee splashed out of the mug when Axel dropped it onto the isle and dashed out the kitchen door. Riku watched the closing door for a moment before taking another bite of his apple.

* * *

_In the empty room, spattered with black blood, the only source of light were three circles of fire. They intertwined, appearing as a chain of three links. Standing in the inner link were two boys, no older than eight. Axel stood across from his soon-to-be _parabatai _with tears in his eyes._

"_Don't do this," he cried, "Please, don't! Just… let me die, __**please**__!"_

"_What kind of a best friend would I be if I did that?"_

"_Please, don't…"_

"_I'm not letting you leave here until you say the oath and Mark me."_

"_But I…"_

"_Do it, Axel."_

_Axel fisted the back of his hands into his eyes, his pre-adolescent voice high and warbling, "H-how could you do this to m-meee…? You know I ca-an't..."_

"_That's exactly why I'm doing it. Say the oath, Axel."_

_The little redhead sniffed, then opened his mouth and chanted:_

"_Entreat me not to leave thee,_

_Or return from following after thee—_

_For whither thou goest, I will go;_

_And where thou lodgest, I will lodge._

_Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God._

_Where thou diest, I will die_

_And there will I be buried:_

_The Angel do so to me, and more also,_

_If aught but death part thee and me."_

"_Good. C'mere, you can use my stele."_

_Reluctantly, Axel's small hand grabbed the icy tool from his hand. Axel pressed the tip to his shoulder and sketched the special I-shaped rune, matching the one on his own shoulder. They instantly felt it, the holy connection between brothers in battle. _

"_See? That wasn't so bad," Axel went to hand him the stele, but he threw up his hands, "Nah, man. Keep it on you, at all times, so you'll know that I'm always there to fix your mess."_

Axel ran down the stairwell, the same stele bouncing around in his pants' pocket.

"_I hate you so much…" Axel wiped a tear from his cheek. The boy laughed a little, taking Axel into his arms and plopping his chin on Axel's head, only an inch or two below his._

"_Yeah, I know."_

He was in the final stretch, sprinting down the first floor.

_Young Axel whimpered, "What if they find out?"_

The Sanctuary's doors banged open under Axel's bare foot. Axel's head whipped around frantically, looking for him. There he was, in the cell on the far right. Years of restraint didn't stop Axel from showing the worry on his face whilst he approached the iron bars, ignoring a snoozing Squall "keeping watch".

"_It's okay, Axel. I'll just tell them I was crazy to begin with."_

"_... Saïx…"_

"Axel?" The x-shaped scar looked up to see Axel, clinging to the bars, panting. Saïx actually appeared somewhat astonished to see him, sitting on the wooden cot provided to him.

"Are you alright?"

Saïx gave a spiteful grin, "Don't you want to hear why I'm in here?"

"_I said, are you alright?_"

The grin morphed into a faint frown, which was his normal complexion, "I am fine."

Axel let out a deep huff of relief, pressing his forehead to the bars, heaving for breath. A dull silence, partly filled by Squall's snoozing, roared in the dungeon. After a few minutes, when Axel had calmed down, Saïx closed his eyes and spoke.

"They suspected me of summoning a demon."

Axel's eyes were concerned, watching Saïx's face carefully, "You wouldn't."

"They don't know that."

"Who reported you?"

"Highwind. He said he saw a Shadow use a dark portal and that it smelled like one."

"That wasn't you, was it?"

"No. I had sent out a cat on a test-run to see how long the Glamour would last if it walked around for a bit. All I set it to do was have two-dimensional properties. If it miraculously learned to climb through the ceiling and rolled in a pile of garbage beforehand then kudos to me," Saïx ran a frustrated hand through his blue locks, "There was a real demon in the Institute. And it wasn't labelled."

"Dude, that can't be. Are you sure it wasn't summoned?"

"I've been pondering it a while. The damn thing could've been a minion to another demon that got summoned."

"That's true…"

"Axel."

Saïx locked eyes with him.

"You didn't get drunk last night. I didn't get my daily dizzy spell from your hangover. This has been the first time since before either of us can remember. Care to share with the class?"

"No, not really."

"Axel, please," there was irritation in Saïx's voice, "Something's not right. Demons in the Institute? The attack on those trainees? Don't give me another mystery."

"I… I just, I… I decided to do something greater."

"And that is?"

"... Moongate wanted to get her sketchpad. So I took her back."

Saïx's custom scowl returned, "Well that wasn't very wise."

"Neither are you."

"I graduated as one of the best students."

"No, not like that," Axel looked to his feet, "You're a fucking idiot, choosing me."

"I don't know what you mean."

Axel turned to the side so Saïx could see the rune on his shoulder, "You know exactly what I mean."

Axel spread his arms out to his sides.

"What were you _thinking_? You only get to pick one _parabatai_ in your entire life. Why would you pick me, of all people? Anyone else would've been better!" his voice cracked as he shut his eyes and laid his body on the bars, "I'm a lost cause… _Parabatai_ draw strength from each other in battle. What could you possibly obtain from me? I was going to kill myself, Saïx. I had a knife. I was ready. I'm weak. All the guilt was already so heavy, and then you just… threw that responsibility on me… Why didn't you let me die? You fucking bastard, I was going to die, I wanted to die… "

Axel knew it wasn't fair, attacking Saïx like this. On the other hand, it wasn't as if Saïx was fair either. Now, as Axel bombarded him with questions, Saïx couldn't smirk and walk away. There was nowhere to run to.

Axel gritted his teeth. He didn't notice Saïx's shocked expression. The only thing that let him know Saïx heard him is when he felt the guy's presence a foot away, on the other side of the bars.

"You were going to, but you didn't."

"How could I, after that?"

"Becoming a _parabatai_ doesn't make you immortal."

Axel's watery eyes met Saïx's, "Yeah, but it'd hurt you! I… I could never do that to you. Saïx… you're the only reason I'm alive. Literally. For that… I hate you. I hate you, so, so much…"

A split second went by before Saïx reached through the bars and put them around Axel, pulling him in for a tight hug through the cell wall. Axel was as tall as Saïx, but as he was hunched over, trembling from the sobs, Saïx could place his chin on his widow's peak.

"Yeah, I know."


	13. Chapter 13

The rest of that day seemed to drag on. Kairi sparred with Yuffie, trying desperately to focus on her physical attacker and not the emotional one sleeping upstairs. At some point Riku had joined them, allying with Kairi to practice dual attacks on Yuffie. In the Sanctuary, Saïx and Axel sat back-to-back on the dungeon floor, going over theories between them. It was the most they'd talked in years, and it still felt as if they'd only been best friends yesterday. Maybe they always were, but now they could show it. DiZ spent the hours in his office going over the same hypotheses and if he should contact the Clave or not. Regardless, no matter where they were, everyone was on edge, looking for demons out of the corners of their eyes, even when they had no idea demons were in the Institute. Sora's Nephilim blood sang in his slumber. It was a restless sleep, as his body told him he needed to move, to strike. It was later into the evening that he was gratifyingly awoken and summoned to the dining room. There, everybody that lived in the Institute had been gathered, all seated at the long table with DiZ at the head. Sora immediately got nervous. Meetings like this only commenced when something serious was happening.

"Evening, Heartlight," the man's voice boomed as Sora seated himself in between Riku and Kairi, "No one is missing? Good, now we can start."

DiZ cleared his throat, visibly drained but persevering in a steady voice.

"I will not waste your time, for time is of the essence. A demon has been sighted in the Institute."

If it'd been anyone else breaking the news, an uproar would've followed. But as it was DiZ, a stunned silence was the one reaction. The half of the Shadowhunters that already knew looked in any direction but at the faces of those who didn't.

"It is still unclear as to how or why this is," DiZ went on, "However, it is possible that one of our very own has summoned it here. He is currently detained in the Sanctuary, guarded by Leonhart."

Axel, sitting relatively close to Riku, spoke up, "It was a Pureblood demon, one without a label."

That was enough to set off Kairi, "Are you shitting me?"

"Scarhallow is right. The demon had no distinct markings."

If Kairi had been a dog, she'd be growling. Sora and Riku knew better than to touch her, so instead Riku explained, "Saïx Foxway, the suspect, was practicing Glamours on a cat. I followed what I thought was the cat disguised as a demon, but as it smelled of Shadow and climbed through darkness, the cat was on the third floor the whole time, and the actual Shadow vanished. No traces of it have been found since."

"What about the cat?" Sora piped up, "Did anyone actually check?"

DiZ replied, "Foxway's room will be inspected thoroughly and properly as any other reported area."

"Then what? We going to Idris?" Yuffie piped up, leaning back in her chair next to a silent Vexen.

"No, Crosswheel. We will remain here in our Institute," before anyone could argue, DiZ held up a hand, "I do not doubt your abilities to protect yourselves. The demon sighted was a Shadow, the easiest of demons to slay. Should something stronger arise, I will consider our leaving."

"Wait, what about Roxas and Xion?" Axel said, "They haven't begun training, they can't even summon their Keyblades!"

"At ease, Scarhallow. They will be fine; there are enough forces here to take care of two unarmed."

Axel swallowed the answer with obvious doubt and sat back in his chair. Roxas and Xion had stayed in the nursery since Roxas wasn't well enough to walk around yet. A dull ache thudded in Axel's chest when he thought of hoards of demons attacking while Roxas wasn't fully recovered.

It was Kairi's turn to break her silence, "What about the Veil Lizard that attacked us? That one was marked with a broken heart. If these two demon sightings are linked, that means someone's targeting our ass."

"There is no proof to suggest the demons are linked. One was labeled, one was not, though I respectively acknowledge this and keep it in mind," DiZ took a deep breath, "The plan is to stay here, search for demonic activity, gather intel, and ensure Foxway isn't guilty. While it's true the demon wasn't marked, Foxway could still have ties with demons, practicing advanced Glamours as such. Finding a feline in his room will mean close to nothing. Also, lessons are postponed until this mess has been sorted out. No one is to tell the Clave, and no one is to leave the Institute without permission. Should Rosekey be right, that could mean greater demons are waiting for us outside. I do not want a list of casualties tarnishing this establishment's history. You are all dismissed."

* * *

"They're not gonna _do _anything?!" Roxas stared incredulously at Axel, come to relay the orders after the meeting, "But, the Institute isn't safe! We can't stay here!"

Axel scritched his red spikes, "Look man, I'm not the one that calls the shots. You have a problem with it? Go yell at DiZ," he looked to Xion, "Yo, thoughts?"

"Well…" Xion had seated herself at the foot of Roxas's bed. She looked to Axel, who'd done the same thing on the neighboring bed, "I don't like it. Something feels wrong."

"That's your Nephilim instincts going haywire. You can sense danger without knowing it's there."

Outside, the sun had settled against the horizon, the sky starting to glow orange. Roxas stared out the window and muttered to no one in particular, "Who's going to protect us?"

"I am."

Roxas and Xion's eyes widened on Axel, "You are?"

The redhead stood, holding his arm out. A giant key appeared in Axel's hand, made of two interlinked red chakrams. Xion recalled the chakrams in his room, wondering if maybe they were parts of a broken key.

"This is a Keyblade," Axel spoke with uncharacteristic seriousness, "Every Shadowhunter has them. Even if you don't choose to fight, you'll still have a Keyblade. It's a requirement to be able to summon your Keyblade to fight demons. They're the only weapons useful against them. You get one for each hand so you can dual-wield, if you want. Sometimes they're identical, sometimes they are different. It doesn't matter. Both come from Raziel himself, through your Nephilim heart. You can show signs of being able to summon them from the moment you're born. That's clearly never happened to either of you yet, so until you do, I will use mine to protect you. I swear - -"

"Axel, stop!" Roxas cut him off, "Don't do that! It's not necessary."

"If I want to make an oath, then it's my choice."

Xion gave Roxas an inquisitive blink, "What's wrong with making an oath?"

"Shadowhunter oaths are very serious. They bind you beyond life, after death, and can absolutely never be broken. You have to follow them no matter what."

"Yeah," Axel said, resting his Keyblade on his hip, "So what's wrong with it? It's only until you two can get your own weapons."

"Then, what are the signs?"

"Eh… Um, hrm…"

"You don't know, do you?"

"I do! It's just been a while. Uh, I _think_ you start having dreams? Or visions? Then you get this really uncomfortable sensation, like when you wanna sneeze but you just can't."

"Dreams of what?"

"The name. You can't summon your Keyblades unless you know their names. Mine's _Bond of Flame_."

"You only have one? What happened to the other?"

"... I… I ah, I broke it…"

_So they were pieces of another _Bond of Flame_, _Xion thought.

Roxas asked, "How do you break a Keyblade?"

"Drop it…" Axel's eyes shifted to his feet, a morose aura emanating from them. Xion was startled when they turned watery. _Bond of Flame _was dropped to the floor when Axel suddenly fell to his knees with his head in his fisted hands, "Drop it… Let me go… I didn't mean to… Go away… _Go away… Go away go away go away go away go away…_"

"Axel!" Roxas went to get out of bed, and winced when his ribs contracted, cutting off his breath. It was Xion that got off the bed. She looked to Roxas, who nodded in approval, "I'm fine", and then she got down on the white tile before Axel.

"Axel?" she kept her tone soft, "Axel, what's wrong?"

"_Leave me alone…_"

"We're not going to leave you, Axel."

"_I already said I was sorry… Stop it… Go away…_"

_He's not talking to me. _Xion gasped. _Is there a demon in his head? _"Axel, please, hear me!"

"_I'm so sorry… Gah!_" Axel rolled onto his side, twisting himself into a tight ball, trembling violently, "_Stay away… It hurts…_"

"Roxas, watch him! I'm going to get help!"

It was hard to tell Xion had no training. She slammed her feet against the tile, shooting out the infirmary's doors like a bullet. All the years of escaping bullies built up the muscle in her firm legs. They carried her out into the corridor. She didn't pause to think, only running until she found someone on the other side of the wing. A feeling of dread pulsed through her, but Xion pushed aside everything personal. This was about Axel. It didn't matter who it was as long as they could help him.

"_Riku!_" Xion came to a screeching halt in front of him. He raised an annoyed eyebrow. Ignoring this, Xion grabbed his arm and started pulling. Riku, much stronger than her, stayed where he was. She roared at the silver tiger, "_It's Axel, he needs help!_" The boy turned dour, letting her tug him along. Riku took note of her speed, somewhat impressed Xion could actually keep up with him. They exploded into the apothecary less than five minutes after Xion left.

"What's wrong with him?" Riku bent to Axel's level. He lightly shook Axel's shoulder, "Hey, Scarhallow!"

Axel had passed the point of responsiveness. His eyes were wide, staring into the void, crying without sound. Nothing happened until Axel abruptly spasmed, mouth wide in a soundless shriek, shivering. A sickening _crack_ rang out when Axel threw his shoulder in the wrong direction. Riku had never seen Axel like this, wasn't even aware it was a possibility. In any case, Riku kept his head and thought of a solution quickly. He did the only thing he could think of within three seconds.

"Hold down his wrists. We can't let him hurt himself."

Xion attempted prying Axel's hands from his temples. She wasn't in the least bit strong enough. In the end, Riku moved them for her; she had to use her knees to press all of her weight into Axel's palms. Axel thrashed beneath her and clawed into Xion's skinny jeans. Riku restrained his lower half by copying Xion, jamming his kneecaps into Axel's upper legs. Swiftly, Riku searched Axel's pockets until he found his stele. He lifted Axel's shirt and Marked a rune on to Axel's abdomen. Within a few seconds Axel grew still.

"Riku…" Roxas swallowed nervously, "Did you…?"

"What did you think I'd do? I used a paralysis rune."

Although Axel appeared as such, Xion could feel him vibrating beneath her. All the pent up energy churned in Axel like a ticking time-bomb. Xion was relieved when Riku told her to back away and let him carry Axel into a bed. She watched with masked horror as Riku brought shackles to the bed and bound Axel. On the wrist and ankle cuffs were copies of the same rune Riku just used. Once Axel was bound, Riku relaxed. He turned to the other two.

"I'm going to get DiZ. Those runes will only last a few minutes. Make sure Scarhallow doesn't escape this room."

Unanswered, Riku bolted outside toward the stairwell. Roxas kept his eyes on Xion, making her way to Axel's bed. With each cautious step, Xion's anxiety intensified. The girl furrowed her brow, "His chest isn't rising."

Roxas's chest panged.

Xion slowly set her ear to Axel's mouth. Instantly, she felt a faint breath whispering into her hair.

"_Kill me… kill me…_"

"Axel…?"

"_Kill me… Reno…_"


End file.
